Would you give a 4-year-old a fitness tracker? Loose Women left fierecely divided over whether sports watches for children encourage an unhealthy focus on weight or could help tackle obesity

• Panellists Ruth, Coleen, Linda and Janet debated kids wearing fitness trackers
• READ MORE: The vital measurement on your fitness tracker that gets ignored

The Loose Women debated today over whether children as young as four years old should be given fitness tracking watches. 

While some of the panel felt young children should not be made aware of things like step count, others said it could be a smart way of tapping into kids’ love of tech to get them moving. 

‘At four years of age they shouldn’t be knowing about exercises and tracking and how many steps they have done that day,’ argued Linda Robson, as demand for the devices in the UK continues to soar. 

She was backed up by Janet Street Porter who said she ‘hates’ fitness tracking and instead said the focus should be on getting children into team sports amid an increased interest due to the Lionesses’ success – because it gets them both exercising and socialising.

However Ruth Langsford and Coleen Nolan weren’t as opposed to the idea, and felt that as child obesity is on the rise, it could be a good way to combine both children’s love and computers and exercising. 

‘At four years of age they shouldn’t be knowing about exercises and tracking and how many steps they have done that day,’ argued Linda Robson

Linda kicked off the debate, saying: ‘Both my granddaughters are really fit because one of them does gymnastics and the other plays football so they don’t have to worry about doing exercise. 

‘And I think because of the lionesses more young kids are actually now playing football and being more alert about all of that sort of stuff now. But at four years of age they shouldn’t know about it.’

‘What if it’s a fun thing?’ Ruth asked, to which Linda replied: ‘A fun thing is fine, so long as they’re not counting how many steps they’ve done that day at four years of age. They shouldn’t know about that should they?’

Turning to Coleen, Ruth said there is a ‘huge problem’ with child obesity, as children have become ‘much more sedentary’ and don’t play outside ‘as much as we used to do’. She suggested a tacker being used as more of a game could be helpful.

Coleen said: ‘I think them doing it without thinking that that’s what it is then that’s fine. 

‘And also remember that most kids want the latest gadget and the latest toy and a lot of kids now, their whole life is spent online playing computer games, or watching tele. Like you said it’s not playing out really anymore.’

Coleen Nolan was not as opposed to the idea, saying it could be a good way of encouraging kids to exercise by tapping into their love of tech

Janet Street Porter agreed with Linda that kids shouldn’t be aware of their step count, and said she doesn’t like that trackers nag you 

She added: ‘So if this is a kind of game and maybe they could use their favourite cartoon character that’s going “Oo let’s go and have a little run around the house” and that’s getting your kid moving, then I think that’s good.’

But Janet wasn’t convinced, saying: ‘I just think they like a monitor, they nag you and they’re not necessarily any good for you.

‘What Linda said is correct that the success of the Lionesses has fuelled this interest of very young girls in particular, in team sports. So why I advocate that over a fitness app on your wrist is that it encourages socialisation. 

‘It means you have to talk to other kids, you have to be in a team. That is miles better for you then stepping out, stepping out.’

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