HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Kurbo, a WW (previously Weight Watchers) app targeted towards kids and teenagers, is drawing a great deal of criticism.
The app is marketed to teach kids about healthy consuming and workout routines.
It works like a traffic control by informing kids which foods they are clear to consume — like vegetables and fruits (green) — and which foods they need to stop (red) and think of — like desserts.
The app’s site stated kids will discover to blend the lights for a “healthier balance.”
According to WW, the system was established at Stanford University after more than 30 years of research study.
The app likewise teaches the kids to think about working out as a method to “earn food.” Users likewise have access to coaches and methods to track their success.
While examines on the site recommend users had the ability to consume much healthier and use up brand-new routines, like running, health professionals stress that it might teach kids something else: eating conditions.
“It’s targeting children so young,” stated psychotherapist Lisa Lyon. “We are seeing eating disorders develop in children as early as age 6.”
“An 8-year-old shouldn’t be worried about counting calories. They should be going out and playing and being a kid … Food is just food. That’s really perpetrating children to think about food as morally good or bad instead of just nutrients.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal and a group with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) are taking a strong position versus the app.
Blumenthal and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) composed to WW and asked the business to instantly pull its “potentially harmful diet app” from the marketplace.
“Childhood obesity is a medical crisis in the United States, and it is imperative that pediatricians and medical professionals, including those with expertise on eating disorders, guide decisions parents and children and making about healthy eating habits,” the set composed. “An app like Kurbo, in conjunction with this lack of relevant medical expertise, has the potential to contribute to eating disorders that plague children, adolescents, and adults across the country. Simply put, Kurbo has no place in the hands of children and we ask that you withdraw the app from the marketplace.”
“Its (WW) ads, pictures, and promotions for Kurbo are absolutely unacceptable,” Blumenthal included.
Some of the success stories included are from kids as young as 8.
Blumenthal stated the app is a dish for catastrophe.
“Eating disorders are a likely result of a diet too early without an understanding of the importance of good nutrition.”
NEDA stated the app has no health expert assistance.
“Kids aren’t cleared by medical professionals when they sign up for the app,” Katie Cichon with NEDA Hartford informed News 8. “There’s no medical surveillance.”
After hearing about the app, one moms and dad stated she doesn’t believe it must be utilized without adult guidance.
“I don’t think that any app should be used by children without supervision from their parents,” stated April Cicarella.
It costs $69 for one month, $189 for 3 months, and $294 for 6 months. The site likewise has a “my employer or health insurance provider pay for Kurbo.”
This short article is influenced from here