WW releases a new app named Kurbo to help kids reach a healthy weight

Abby Gordon | Reporter

On August 13, Kurbo by WW was released into app stores around the world. The app is designed to teach children and teens ages eight to seventeen how to maintain a balanced, healthy diet. However, many people are questioning whether or not we should be teaching kids to diet at such a young age. 

The app teaches kids to track every food they eat based on a stoplight system. Green is for fruits and veggies, yellow is for food such as lean proteins and pasta, and red represents junk food like candy and soda. Everytime a Kurbo user eats any food, they also record the portion-which is roughly the size of their fist.
“Our traffic light system was developed at Stanford University, based on more than 30 years of research,” Kurbo’s website states to explain that the system is science-proven. In an interview with Time, Stephanie Wallace, an associate professor of pediatrics, said that she likes the stoplight method but that “Younger kids are going to need support to help supervise their progress,” she says.

However, even discussing weight with adolescents can prove to be dangerous. In 2016, The American Academy of Pediatrics even advised doctors and families to not discuss weight, but instead promote a healthy lifestyle. 

Kurbo’s website explains the app as a way to teach children a healthy diet and lifestyle, and not as a calorie counter. Another description of Kurbo instead describes it as an app to lose weight, “Kurbo is a fun and easy-to-use mobile app designed for kids, teens, and families who want to improve nutrition habits and lose weight,” the app store description reads. Member stories from young kids and teens that are featured on the Kurbo website also explain their journey to lose ten or twenty pounds.

Obesity affects about 13.7 million children and adolescents in the United States. On the other hand, over 50% of teenage girls and 33% of teenage boys are using restrictive measures to lose weight at any given time. 

One posted review for Kurbo in the app store expresses a parent’s personal connection and reasons why she does not support the app. “I’ve taken the time to look over the app. As a parent with a child who has an eating disorder, this is a very dangerous way to lead children down the wrong path towards unstable eating habits,” the parent says. “ Weight in growing humans is a moving target, and should not be the focus of any healthy eating app.” 

The question to consider, then, is that yes, obesity in children is a growing cause for concern in the United States, but how far is too far?