To fidget, to spin… or both
Marketed for its supposed health benefits, children from all ages and sizes are dragging their parents to the store just to own their very own fidget spinner.
POLOKWANE – It is the new toy on the block which causes headaches for some and relaxation for others.
Although the toy was invented in the 1990s, fidget spinners are now becoming popular.
Marketed for its supposed health benefits, children from all ages and sizes are dragging their parents to the store just to own their very own fidget spinner.
While some local schools are lenient, allowing for the toys to be brought to school, others have communicated to parents that the toy is banned from school and the playground altogether.
In these instances, it is cited that the toy causes distraction in class.
The fidget spinner was initially prescribed to help people who have trouble focusing, or for those who fidget.
A basic fidget spinner consists of a bearing in the centre of a design made from any of a variety of materials including brass, stainless steel, titanium, copper and plastic.
The toy acts as a release mechanism for nervous energy or psychological stress.
Experts are divided on this claim, with some supporting it while others disputed its scientific basis and argued the toy may actually be more distracting.
Vincent Cloete, a child psychologist in the city said that he is not convinced of the toy’s health benefits.
“I believe it is as effective as a child sitting with a knife and a fork in his hands. It will not help him in any way. If anything, it will distract the other children from paying attention in class,” he said.
He said that the only way he would prescribe the toy to children is if there has been more research done and if a study shows a child, intensely monitored for at least six months, showing growth in his studies and better concentration.
He feels most children want the spinners due to peer pressure.
While it has a mixed following, the toy still sells well and can cost anything between R17 to R500 or even more depending on the type of fidget spinner – plain, brightly coloured or with lights.
Love it or hate it, it seems you too will have to put up with the latest craze among children.
Fidget spinners have become popular with kids, but a concern to some parents. How do you feel about this latest craze?
