Fidget spinners are the hot new trend

It's the latest craze making its way through schools. But many believe fidget spinners are distracting. Clinical therapist and counselor Roshini Kumar from Children's Health joined Good Day to share her expert opinion.

Fidget spinners were created to promote a calming activity, lower stress and help people focus. But some schools are banning them because teachers say they are doing the exact opposite.

“I think it kind of depends for children especially,” Kumar said. “For children that are a little more hyperactive, a symptom of hyperactivity is fidgeting so fidget toys kind of help dispel some of that nervous fidgeting energy.”

There have been no official scientific studies on the toys to prove that they are beneficial. However, many people say they help especially with ADD, ADHD or anxiety. Kumar said adults could benefit from them too.

“I believe so. I think any kind of fidgeting nervous energy that people have you are able to kind of channel it through this toy,” she said.

Other teachers like the fact that fidget spinners don't have a screen, don't make much noise and don't require a battery. They still consider them a toy that is not appropriate for the classroom.

“I think you have to think about the setting that they’re in. So if it’s a one-on-one setting in a therapy session, it’s just me so I’m not going to be too distracted by the toy. But whenever you throw other children into the mix, maybe children that don’t have that nervous energy to burn off, their focus maybe changes from the activity at hand to the fidget spinner,” Kumar said.

Is there such a thing as too much spinning? The therapist said yes.

“Sometimes it can kind of go on beyond the benefits of calming or relaxing to being a little bit distracting when used a little bit too much,” she said.