How fitness trackers help to recognise childhood tantrums earlier
30/1/2026
Translation: machine translated
A study shows that the tantrums of children with behavioural problems can be predicted by fitness trackers and significantly shortened by parents who react quickly.
When children are prone to fits of rage, it can be a real test for entire families. A recent study involving 50 children aged three to seven now provides evidence that even a simple fitness tracker can help prevent the worst from happening.
If the parents were informed of their children's abnormal heart rate values and responded to the «alarm» within a few seconds, they were able to shorten their children's outbursts by almost eleven minutes compared to the control group. They then lasted «only» a good ten minutes.
Supplement to the therapy
The children taking part in the study were not selected according to diagnoses such as ADHD or oppositional defiant behaviour, but using a standardised questionnaire on behavioural problems.
Alongside interaction therapy with their families, 28 of the 50 children at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota were fitted with a Garmin Vivosmart 4. It's a relatively simple fitness tracker, the similar-looking predecessor to this one.
The children wore the device relatively reliably for sixteen weeks, wearing it on average three quarters of the time. As soon as their heart rate remained in the critical range between 105 and 129 beats per minute for longer without corresponding physical activity, the parents received a warning on their smartphone.
The moderately elevated heart rate as the first measurable sign of an impending tantrum was derived from a previous feasibility study. By analysing heart rate, movement and sleep data, a machine learning model was able to predict when the child would be calm, remain playful or tend to lash out.
In the current study, parents reacted quickly to the corresponding warnings: On average, the message was opened, read and acted upon after less than four seconds.
Support before it's too late
«At such moments, parents have the opportunity to intervene in a supportive way - by getting closer, finding calming words, naming feelings and redirecting attention before a tantrum intensifies», explains co-author and child psychiatrist Magdalena Romanowicz.
In research, the approach of using real-time information for such purposes is known as Just-In-Time Adaptive Intervention (JITAI). Calming the situation before half the house is torn apart - under special conditions, wearables can even be useful for small children.
Header image: Shutterstock/Bricolage
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
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