Appropriate for Teens?

katjonzz

Is MyFitnessPal appropriate for a teenager to use? (15 year old boy, in this case.) Will it be able to accurately calculate daily calories for a youth who is still growing? Thanks!

malibu927

No, because he's going to have different nutritional needs than you will. You should speak with his pediatrician about how to go about helping him lose weight.

usmcmp

No, when you sign up you agree that you are at least 18 years old. The calorie count on here is for adults who are done growing. A teenager is still growing and has different needs. Consider talking to his doctor if you are concerned about his weight and focus more on the activity side than the restriction side.

sunshinexflowers

Well when I was in tenth grade health class, one of our assignments was to use this app for a week basically just to see how many calories we were eating on average. That was just to maintain though! So I'd say it's okay for a teenager to use it to see how healthy or unhealthy they're eating. But like other posters said I'd ask a doctor for actual diet advice.

usmcmp

sunshinexflowers wrote: »

Well when I was in tenth grade health class, one of our assignments was to use this app for a week basically just to see how many calories we were eating on average. That was just to maintain though! So I'd say it's okay for a teenager to use it to see how healthy or unhealthy they're eating. But like other posters said I'd ask a doctor for actual diet advice.

Your teacher was purposefully having you guys violate the terms of the website/app. You are supposed to be 18 to join.

Unknown

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snickerscharlie

Having a 15 year old track his or her calories at an age where their bodies are undergoing incredible change and they are also highly impressionable is, unfortunately, a great way to set him up with an eating disorder. Not to mention psychological issues, with depression being the main concern. Being a teenager is tough enough. Besides, as has been pointed out, it's against the ToS of this site for good reason.

Please talk to his doctor about your concerns.

Ready2Rock206

Check out sparkteens.com - if that's still a thing.... They used to have a teen site anyway.

FireTurtle75

Use an independent app that doesn't have a forum feature & for consumption tracking only & not for determining what the should be consuming. Talk to his Dr about his dietary needs.