School clamps upon phones and Fitbits to cure body image worries

A girls’ school is banning wearable activity trackers and smartwatches because of concerns that pupils are skipping lunch when they neglect to meet their calorie and physical activity targets.

Teachers at Stroud high school in Gloucestershire fear the gadgets are exacerbating some girls’ worries about their body image.

The deputy headteacher, Cindi Pride, said the school’s active and healthy pupils couldn’t really need to count calories and the amount of steps they took every single day.

She said: “We are banning Fitbits and smartwatches. These monitor the amount of calories expended and we all found that some girls would monitor the sheer number of steps they had taken as well as the amount of calories they had used. Should they didn’t feel that they taken enough ways in the morning, they wouldn’t eat lunch.

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“We are afraid our girls being folks. They’re younger ladies who definitely are healthy and so they do exercise and PE, and ought to be obsessed with steps or calories.”

The move was welcomed C with reservations C by way of a former pupil in the school, Rachel Cross, who had a diet disorder and possesses generate a support group in Stroud individuals who may have similar conditions.

She said: “With area it is extremely hard to say if something will bring on an eating disorder you aren’t; using stuff like Fitbits can just be described as a cool thing to enable them to do.

“I think I agree about it, however i do have reservations over when it will genuinely prevent anyone from buying a disorder when with that path anyway. It’s potentially a superb precaution to use. Whether or not it’s distracting them from work, it’s a good idea anyway.

“It might be interesting to determine the ins and outs out. Pupils always make an effort to bend the guidelines anyway, by way of example for the period of skirts.”

Parents were up to speed. One said: “This is a great move, which addresses important issues in the appropriate and measured way.”

When pupils return using their summer break, girls in a long time 7 to 9 is going to be banned from utilizing their cell phones in any respect through the school day.

Those in years 10 and 11 is going to be allowed to use their mobiles at lunch, and pupils while in the sixth form C which include boys C will be capable to use their phones freely with the exception of lessons.

In a letter to oldsters, the assistant headteacher, Nadine Moore, wrote that concern about at a disadvantage was an extra pressure faced by teens through advertising and marketing.

She wrote: “Being a teenager is actually difficult enough, even so the pressures faced by young people online are unique for this digital generation.

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“Research implies that adolescents who will be heavy users of social network C spending over a couple of hours everyday on social media sites C will probably report poor mental health.

“Seeing friends constantly ‘having fun’ may make young people feel as if they may be losing out whilst some enjoy life.

“While for numerous young adults concern about losing (Fomo) is probably not a difficulty, for some it is causing them distress available as anxiety and feelings of inadequacy.”

Pupils informed concerning the tight new controls at the school assembly. The letter home added: “Social media addiction is believed to affect around 5% of adolescents, with social media being referred to as more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol.

“Remember, this gives your daughters nearly seven hours of freedom from your pressures of social network. For his or her in time school, they won’t need to panic about ‘missing out’, or replying quickly enough or realizing who said what you should whom.

“Instead, am certain that in a position to keep in mind that we’ve real friends facing us, right now, who you can speak with, play with, fool around with, laugh with. You can share experiences together and expense them themselves, rather then because the picture has become validated by 100 likes on whichever social websites platform they choose.”