By Megan Werden ’17

Fitbits are devices that contain a 3D motion sensor that track calories burned according to how many steps one has taken, distance traveled and sleep quality. It is recommended that people take 10,000 steps a day.

While Fitbits and other fitness trackers are beneficial to help people track their activity, psychologists are starting to question how beneficial these health devices are for one’s mental health.

Some psychologists think that people begin to obsess about improving themselves and then begin to feel like failures when they do not reach a certain goal while using fitness trackers like the Fitbit. Psychologists are beginning to worry that Fitbits and other fitness trackers will lead to people becoming obsessive over exercise, resulting in an unhealthy fixation on losing weight.

“I think Fitbits can easily become an obsession with calculating calories, but can also be very beneficial for those who have always been unaware of their physical activity. I think a person has to be conscious about whether it would actually help them or not,” said physical education teacher Ashley Barber-Strunk.

Teens utilize fitness trackers, which cost about $150, to monitor their activity and sleep. “I think it keeps people motivated, but not to a point of obsession,” said junior Stella Lappas, an avid Fitbit user. Lappas checks it every hour or two. Her goal is set at 10,000 steps per day, but she usually logs about 12,000 to 15,000.

Calorie counters, like My Fitness Pal and Lose It, also help users learn about another component of health: food intake. One enters personal information manually, and the calorie counter decides how many calories should be consumed a day depending on the person’s weight, height, age, gender, general activity and health goals. Like devices that track exercise, those that measure food intake also come with unintended consequences.

Calorie counters and fitness trackers can lead people’s health in the right direction, but with incorrect usage, they can have detrimental impacts too.