To be horrified that fit bits for kids are considered normal?

[gobbyone]

I find the whole idea of having my body voluntarily monitored and having the data fed into an app owned by God knows who, a bit bizarre anyway. But each to their own. Doctors instructions aside, obviously.

But for children? Why? Isn't this going to feed into mental health problems?

Genuinely horrified.

Lots of kids are overweight. It's better to encourage them to exercise more than to go on diets. They are also often snazzy watches that give you text messages etc. I get horrified a lot, but not at this.

Why would it feed mental health problems?

Fitbit and such are not recommended for people who have an eating disorder or exercise obsession.

As long as they are treated as a bit of fun and not obsessive. I dont see the issue.

Lots of kids have mental health problems (I did) and other problems without a fit bit.

Emotionally abusive parenting is far more damaging to kids

Like any other technology it just depends how it is used.

It’s not about weight, or body image. It’s about moving and being active. A fit bit encourages you go for a walk or in my case take stairs not lifts and reach your step goal.

I think their amazing, I have an Apple Watch and I walk instead of taking the bus because I am motivated by counting my steps and competing with friends. Etc so you are being unreasonable yes.

Kids fitbits don't monitor the same stuff as adults, my child has one as likes to see the amount of steps she is doing and don't think a bit of encouragement to keep active is a bad thing.

She cannot see calorie counts and things weight related.

Yabu

I'm horrified that so many children are now overweight and obese because exercise and health aren't taken seriously, that they aren't given time and space to relax and be active outdoors with friends and family.

Anything that encourages children to think about their movement and health has to be a winner.

What mental health repercussions can come from a Fitbit?

I see it as a good move really, encouraging them to look after their health. No worse than the Change 4 Life packs they give out in school with the “challenges” to get the recommended exercise by moving.

The kids I know who have them just use them as a fancy watch/step counter. That’s it. I can’t get my knickers in a knot about it.

Ds primarily has one because all his friends do, and they are approved by school.

He monitors his steps - he wants to beat me. He also earns coins for doing tasks like brushing his teeth - he doesn’t care about any of the other stuff!

I don’t see anything negative or to be horrified by the above?!

I personally know a few overweight kids that could hugely benefit from fitness trackers for encouragement. What I find shocking is not kids having them, but kids needing them. Children's diets are controlled by adults and as such there is little excuse for being overweight.

My dcs want them, they have cheaper versions but may be getting the kids version for Xmas. They really just like to see who does the most steps in a day (especially when they beat me!!)

How is this any different to games thry play online? Who cares about the data from a kid doing exercise! If it can encourage them to take up some exercise, just like for adults, how can this be bad?

Being able to quantify and control your body obsessively, is often part of eating disorders.

Kids should not be encouraged to do this. It's dangerous.

Kids are overweight because they don't move about enough and eat shit food. Giving them an extra level of digital anxiety is not the solution.

It's pure marketing this- worried about your child getting fat? Buy this shiny thing and you'll feel like you're doing something about it!

OP you are projecting I think

I'm a recover(ing) anorexic. I would have loved one of these as a teenager. It probably would have been the death of me.

It's creepy as fuck.

No Banjo, I have some insight. Close but not the same thing.

I agree with you Op, although I can see I'm in the minority.

Your massively over the top.

My daughter has one just to see if she can beat me on how many steps she does.

She likes to look how much sleep she’s had as well.

She’s 7, she doesn’t link it to her body imagine!

YABU when i was a kid at school in the 2000s i remember all the kids including me having plastic watches that counted our steps and we'd all have fun collecting the colours and seeing who could get the highest scores etc wasn't a single obese or overweight child in my school as far as i can remember and we were quite a poor community in a time when fast food was dirt cheap and encouraged

It’s not creepy at all, as with anything technology for children needs to be monitored. I know a little girl who told her nanny she wanted to do more walking. Encouraged by the fit bit. Instead of getting the bus she said let’s walks how is that creepy?

You’re being weird OP

My daughter is 7 and has a Garmin Vivofit, she loves checking her steps, has helped her understand time, uses the alarm to take turns with toys, I can set her chores to do...not harmful in any way, my parents bought it for her and they are pretty much the most sensible people you could ever meet!

I think - with kindness - that you are projecting because of your illness when you were younger. I agree that for some teens in this situation it could be dangerous, but it’s not a blanket rule. For the vast majority, it’s just a game to them to motivate them to move. Ds has no concept of body image, he has no idea that beating me in steps will make him healthier - he thinks his muscles are in his elbows bless him. It’s just not on his - or his friends - radars.

Kids are overweight because they don't move about enough

And a Fitbit encourages then to move more! I have one... it encourages me to get off my backside more frequently than I would otherwise.

gobbyone

I'm sorry that you suffered from anorexia. I can imagine how that's influenced your views.

But for most kids, it's like anything else - the latest cool thing to get! I did have some reservations too - more about spending money on something that can easily be lost / broken. Two of mine have been asking for Fitbits for over a year; they are now 10 and 12 and I said they could get them for their birthdays.

However, I didn't buy them the one they wanted (too expensive), they got another one that I felt was a suitable price to pay for a child.

My son in particular wants it to mainly use as a timer (when he's playing soccer etc) which obviously he could do with a stopwatch! But it's the overall idea of having this cool watch, as he saw it, and I think it's fine.

Of course if I was buying it for them and telling them they had to count their calories etc and complete a certain number of steps, that would be worrying - but that would be my bad parenting, not a Fitbit problem!