School bans Fitbits after girls stop eating lunch

A LEADING girls’ grammar school has banned Fitbit fitness trackers over concerns pupils have become obsessed with counting calories.

Teachers at Stroud High School in Gloucestershire said girls were skipping lunch to meet targets set by the gadgets.

Wrist-worn Fitbits use motion detectors to count the number of steps taken. Every user is encouraged to walk approximately five miles a day.

Fitness trackers have become a must-have accessory for many health-conscious Britons.

However, experts warn that they can be inaccurate and fuel unhealthy obsessions with body image.

Cindi Pride, deputy head at the 860-pupil school, said the gadgets were taking a toll on the mental health of teenagers.

In a letter to parents outlining the ban, which includes all smartwatches, she said: ‘We found that some girls would monitor the number of steps they had taken and the number of calories they had used.

‘If they didn’t feel they had taken enough steps in the morning they wouldn’t eat lunch.’