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.

I agree OP

My youngest wanted one for her birthday- I said no.
She can get compulsive about things, she has anxiety issues and we felt this would be a risky thing for her mental health - having a machine tell her to do more.
She is fit and active enough.

My worry was anorexia- speaking to parents of children with eating issues my dd has traits they recognise and we are conscious to encourage positive thinking and try to negate her compulsions before they become obsessive.

@WorraLiberty

"Not all people who drink are alcoholics. Not all people children who have a Fitbit will go on to be obsessive about their weight."

Happy to give a six year old a shot of whiskey then?

OP you've quoted the wrong person there. I haven't mentioned alcohol.

Fitbits don’t record weight... the app can if you input the data yourself but the Fitbit for kids is about encouraging activity and good sleep patterns, something that HELPS mental health.

OP, your past issues are making you ridiculous!

@WorraLiberty, apologies.

It was @notsohippychick who compared it quite rightly to alcohol.

Fine for adults who know what they're getting into.

@BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou

I know they don't record weight, but excessive and very repetitive (like steps) exercising can be a part of anorexia.

This thing is visually quantifying 'health'. It's making it competitive. Health shouldn't be competitive, literally, that way madness lies.

They're not 'issues' sweetheart, it's a serious and often fatal illness.

I think it’s great! Tackling childhood obesity and encouraging children to have a healthy attitude towards exercise and nutrition is a multi pronged thing. If fitbits work for some kids then that’s great.

I tried replying more softly, but now I have to agree with this OP, your past issues are making you ridiculous!

Of course not! That’s ridiculous. Alcohol would INSTANTLY alter a child’s physical and mental state! Not to mention make them violently ill. I’m not sure you can compare the two.

I know they don't record weight, but excessive and very repetitive (like steps) exercising can be a part of anorexia.

Also, excessive and very repetitive exercising can be a lot of fun and part of being healthy.

EDs are absolutely awful things OP, but so is the childhood obesity that's sweeping the Western world and showing very little sign of changing.

I personally don’t have an issue with them, DH and I both have Fitbits and my DC 6&8 have the Kids Garmin trackers. They enjoy seeing how many steps they do, we walk almost everywhere. They don’t associate steps with food they see it as how much fun they have. Their school is quite focused on keeping active, every lunch they walk, hop, run or skip the golden mile around the playground. They do PE at least once a week along with other activities in the classroom. They also offer several sporty after school clubs that my DC love taking part in. I find it quite interesting to see how much they do at school.

Do we ban all food now in case it makes someone bulimic? Do we frown at the gym in case someone takes it too far? Because in essence, that’s what you are saying no?

Where does it stop!? At some point the person needs to take ownership of their own mental health and “issues” rather than projecting it onto something else.

My 6 year old has a Garmin Vívofit Jr and we think it’s great. She likes counting her steps but we can also set timers/reminders on it eg when it’s time to brush her teeth and tells her when been 2 minutes, when it’s bed time, homework time, the list goes on and I can reward her through an app on my phone and she sees how many stars she has at any time before cashing them in for treats. It’s more about encouraging the routine we have at home and being rewarded for good behaviour than being fitness/weight motivated

DD has one. She uses it as a watch and likes the relaxation exercises at bedtime. She sometimes tries to do as little steps as possible for the days challenge lol.

I think you can’t tarnish all kids with the same brush. Many just wouldn’t have the issues you’ve experienced and I think that’s colouring your view here.

Im a former bulimic so I understand your concerns and the insight you have. The Fitbit Ace is for kids. My 8 year old got hers for her birthday. It tracks her steps and she uses it to tell the time. She marvels at the step counter but does not attribute weight or calories to it as it simply doesn't function like that. There is nothing more sinister than that. I say this politely but YABU.

They are a way of keeping tabs on children. Very black mirror. Friend of mine who is a teacher took children on a residential and had a parent complain about how late their child went to bed, levels of activity over the days (why were they stationery for 30 mins between 9am and 9.30 am - I thought this was meant to be an active trip etc) as they had been monitoring on their phone the whole time. Needless to say school has now banned these devices. I can assure you this is true even though it doesn’t sound it!

It's dangerous for you, perhaps.

For Freddy who is convinced that mooching to the corner shop to stock on Freddos is plenty pf exercise, it's more of an eye opener.

I've had one for years and i treat it like a dog that needs its walkies and looks at me in a way that makes me feel lazy if I use a bit of drizzle as an excuse to stay in the house, that morning. It's been a useful tool in helping me to lose the weight that I needed to lose in order to no longer be overweight.

@thegreenlight the problem there is the control freak parent, not the fitbit.

I suppose if you follow your thoughts on it through though OP, would you see a treadmill at the gym, which measures distances or whatever as you can tell I have never been inside a gym as potentially harmful?

My almost 9yo asked for one himself. He thinks it’s fun to see how far he’s walked etc... must go order it, it’s for his birthday

Fitbit are encouraging for children to stay active... obesity in children is a real problem.

I bet you're not crying over iPads at the dinner table or phones at 10 years old though, are you op?

Eating disorders existed long before there were fitbits, they are clearly not necessary for causing them. They can certainly make various obsessive behaviours easier to obsess on - but equally they can also normalise behaviours before they become obsessive, teaching a kid that they are moving enough, that they are sleeping enough. They're a tool, tools don't cause behaviours, the language and behaviour in their families will be much more likely to contribute to any disordered behaviour than the tool.

And the tool has been shown to increase activity - for all the health benefits that activity produces, but like any tool you need to make sure it's not misused.