Fitness blogger and Instagram star Ashy Bines sparked controversy with the launch of Ashy and Friends, her newest venture that targets children as young as only 1 year old.
While child obesity remains an alarming issue in the United States, doctors and parenting experts believe that Bines' workout program for very young children will do more harm than good.
Ashy Bines Launches 'Ashy and Friends' Program For Children
Ashy and Friends is described as an "edu-tainment" program and a "fun-packed music, fitness and education show" for 1-year-old to 6-year-old children. The workouts involved in Ashy and Friends uses animated characters, including a cartoon version of Bines to promote healthy eating, proper nutrition, and exercise among kids.
"Our society is becoming less active, less healthy and more overweight every year," wrote Bines on the official Ashy and Friends website, adding that it is now more critical than ever to inspire the love for health and fitness among children.
Ashy And Friends Receives Backlash
While Bines may believe in Ashy and Friends, doctors and parenting experts have launched criticisms against the program.
The Butterfly Foundation CEO Christine Morgan said that Ashy and Friends is "taking it too far," referring to how it makes toddlers become concerned over possibly gaining weight.
"Even if they don't understand it at the time, that subliminal messaging is going to go in, and all of the concerns about shape and size, at the earliest, earliest age, and the damage that can be done by that is just astounding," added Morgan.
Meanwhile, Jenny Hale, a senior family coach for Parenting Place, said that having children focus on dieting and losing weight may fuel anxiety.
"[It] is not what children should be responsible for. It can stop them being naturally carefree and unhindered to just get on with being a child," she said.
David Newman, the president of the Paediatric Society of New Zealand, recommended parents to go to a health professional instead of something like Ashy and Bines, if there were concerns on the weight of their children.
"Weight loss is for adults. We don't focus on weight loss for very young children at all, we focus on healthy living," said Newman.
Bines, however, has also gained supporters, one of which is Benji Tiger, a personal trainer from Florida. Tiger believes that there is nothing wrong with exercise for children, especially in a world where technology has made kids underactive.
What do you think about the Ashy and Friends program? Let us know in the comments section.
