Suppose you have bought a Fitbit or plan to buy one. In that case, one thing that might concern you is the radiation levels emitted from the device, especially if you have young children or are pregnant. When I started using my Fitbit Charge 4, I noticed it has flashing lights, sometimes green and sometimes red. Being a cautious mom, my first thought was, is this safe for my child if I wear it? This is an honest concern and can bring a worry to some parents.
The short answer is that Fitbit “green lights” are not harmful to you or your child unless you have a skin allergy to LED lights. Suppose you have a sensitivity or are worried about it affecting you or your child. You can turn off the heart rate sensor under the device settings or change it to pregnancy mode if you are an expecting momma. If you are worried about radiation, the Fitbit emits about 0.01 Watts compared to a Wi-Fi router or phone, which is about 0.5 a watt. Some mommas that are expecting do worry about radiation, and if you do, then keep away from fitness devices and limit your exposure to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radiation.
The consensus among most reviewers is that it’s safe:
However, most forms I reviewed state that it is safe to wear the Fitbit and that the amount of radiation it emits is small enough that there should not be any issues unless you have an actual allergy to LED lights. Suppose your child is around you and the Fitbit, and you’re worried about their sensitivity to the LED lights or the radiation emission. In that case, you will need to conclude if it is safe based on the data below.
Sample of 100 people
Some things to watch out for when it comes to Fitbit safety:
Fitbit products may cause skin irritation due to wearing them tight or not cleaning the product.
“Prolonged contact may contribute to skin irritation or allergies in some users. To reduce irritation, follow four simple wear and care tips: (1) keep it clean; (2) keep it dry; (3) don’t wear it too tight, and (4) give your wrist a rest by removing the band for an hour after extended wear.” (Fitbit Safety)
There are some concerns with the LED light and how it can affect your eyesight, but the “PurePulse” LED light on the Fitbit has low power levels and should not affect your vision any differently than lights in a home and shouldn’t burn your skin. The only concern is that if you have some epilepsy or sensitivity to flashing lights, you can turn off the LED on the Fitbit.
There are some minor concerns from soon-to-be mommas about what involves the potential “radiation” and if it is safe during pregnancy. According to the Fitbit help center, the “radiation emitted from Fitbit Devices is safe.” As shown in the Pie Chart above, people have an overwhelming consensus that the Fitbit device is safe to use. Still, that does not mean that there is no worry involved with using the product. The short answer is that everyone using the product must decide whether they are okay with the “radiation” emission. Even if it’s safe, some people still like to stay on the side of caution.
Why I believe that Fitbit is not only safe but also super helpful to have:
I have used my Fitbit for a year now. I have it both night and day. I only take it off when showering or if it needs to be charged. (My charge usually lasts about six days). I have a one-year-old girl who has been around it for the past year and has not shown any issue with it, and actually, she probably has more risk with a TV screen than my fitness device. The Fitbit has been super helpful and valuable in tracking my steps, heart, sleeping habits, and activity. Since after pregnancy, I have wanted to keep track of my health.
I originally got the Fitbit because of my work. I liked the idea of having a tracker to track my steps since my phone was only accurate occasionally. So even though my initial reason I wanted to get one was that I was getting a benefit with my work. I also loved that it would automatically track my steps, sleeping pattern and heart rate, etc.. it was also helping me achieve a health goal that our work had set for our insurance.
What are the benefits of having a Fitbit:
One of my favorite things about Fitbit is that it’s easy to use, and I can just put it on and forget about it. I also like wearing it and automatically having all the statistics appear on the Fitbit app.
One of the benefits was that I liked having historical data. One of the other benefits was that when you download the app, you have all the information you need, including the sleeping schedule and steps you take. Also, heart rate tracking is super helpful. I like having everything tracked automatically without entering anything into an app or worrying about it. All I have to do is wear the Fitbit all day and night, and I get all that data at my fingertips.
What I don’t like about the Fitbit:
One thing that I did notice that I don’t like is that it does not always track when you are doing a workout unless you go in and use their workout programs, so if you are in the process of working out or using some other program, it will not pick it up usually. Even though it will track your heart rate and say you were active. Still, it will only follow the workout process consistently if it is functional cardio.
However, this is not a deal breaker because I don’t need exercise tracking since I use another workout app that tracks my workouts and progress.
The main uses of the Fitbit:
The Fitbit is best at how many steps you take in a day, how long you sleep during the night, your sleep cycles, and your heart rate. These are the main things it excels at. This information is beneficial since it’s good to track your sleep score, which tracks your sleep cycles. Also, knowing how many steps I take in the day gives me an idea of how active I have been outside my regular workout schedule.
Fitbit integration:
Another thing that I have noticed with the Fitbit is that it integrates well with Fitness Pal, so if you are using the app, it is an excellent tool because it helps you track not only your activity and combine it with your food intake, which the Fitness Pal App is great at. Fitbit integrates well with phone Health Apps and other fitness apps very well. Most fitness apps will have an option for connecting to Fitbit, and it’s a rapid setup process.
In conclusion,
Not only have I found this product safe and helpful, but also, it’s a perfect investment if you want to meet physical and health activity goals without all the hassle of tracking it on your own. Be careful if you are sensitive to the LED light or the band around your hand day and night. If you don’t have any sensitivity, it’s a great tracking tool and is entirely safe to wear around your child on your hand.
Source:
Fitbit Important Safety and Product Information. www.fitbit.com/global/us/legal/safety-instructions.
The Fitbit Community. 21 Dec. 2021, community.fitbit.com/t5/Other-Charge-Trackers/Are-the-green-lights-bad-for-you/td-p/1986979?nobounce.