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Can a Diet App for Children Ever Be Good?
How WW (Weight Watchers) missed the mark with Kurbo
I’ve spent a lot of time over the last year reading about, thinking about, and, eventually, speaking out about diet culture. Decades of dieting and disordered eating, starting before I’d even hit puberty, have left me hostile toward diets and health fads, particularly those that promote themselves under the guise of “wellness.”
There’s been a real backlash against fad diets and fat-shaming over the last few years, driven in large part by my fellow millennials (I hope will add the “wellness” industry to the list of businesses we’ve destroyed). So, I cannot believe that I have to say what I’m about to say:
Please don’t give your eight-year-old a dieting app.
How did we get here?
Kurbo is an app-based diet program from WW, formerly Weight Watchers, that is targeted toward children between the ages of eight and 17. When I first learned about Kurbo when it launched in August 2019, I was a bit…concerned. And I wasn’t alone. In the weeks and months since its launch, WW and Kurbo have received a ton of backlash in the media, as well as criticism from parents, health care professionals, dietitians, and eating disorder experts. Currently, there’s a Change.org petition asking for the…
