Can a fitness tracker be bad for you?

Make no mistake, I’m not about to suggest that fitness trackers are a bad thing. We love them here at Android Authority, and the vast majority of owners either see positive benefits from owning one or are at least neutral about them. It’s very rare that a fitness tracker or smartwatch has a bad or negative effect on your health or any other aspect of your life other than perhaps your bank balance when you fork out for it.

That said, fitness trackers can pose some relatively small but real risks. As unlikely as they might be to impact you, it’s important to be aware of them. Let’s talk about some of the main ones.

Fitness trackers are great for keeping tabs on your activity and helping you stay on track to hit your goals, but they might fuel unhealthy habits around food and weight for certain people. For instance, obsessively tracking every calorie burned or consumed can turn into something more problematic, especially if you’re already prone to disordered eating. It can feel less like a helpful tool and more like a constant reminder that you’re “not doing enough,” leading to restrictive behaviors or even making existing eating disorders worse.

Research supports the idea that some users of fitness trackers, particularly those focused on weight and calories, are more likely to develop harmful habits like overexercising or severe calorie restriction. It’s not the tracker’s fault exactly, but for people with certain vulnerabilities, it can add fuel to the fire. While the vast majority of users won’t face these issues, it’s something to be mindful of if you find yourself getting a little too fixated on the numbers.

On a related note, another subtle risk with fitness trackers is that they can sometimes cause you to tune out what your body’s actually telling you. Ever felt like you had to hit your 10,000 steps no matter what, even when you’re exhausted or feeling under the weather? It’s quite common. Many people get caught up in maintaining streaks, meeting daily goals, or competing with friends on apps like Strava, which is all fun until it starts overshadowing your body’s need for rest.

Studies suggest that when people rely too much on tracker data, they may push through injuries or fatigue to avoid breaking a streak. It’s easy to fall into the trap of “just one more workout,” but your body is a much more effective metric than the data from the device on your wrist, and it knows what’s best for you. Forget competing or trying to meet that arbitrary goal your tracker sets, and take a day or two off when you feel like you need it.

With all the fancy tools packed into modern fitness trackers — heart rate monitors, blood oxygen sensors, ECGs, and even stress trackers — it’s easy to feel like you’re in perfect health if the numbers look good. And let’s be honest, many of us love a reason to avoid the doctor. But we shouldn’t rationalize in this way. While these devices can provide helpful insights, they’re not a replacement for regular medical check-ups.

Fitness trackers aren’t foolproof. As impressive as their sensors are, they can sometimes be inaccurate and give you a false sense of security. For instance, a heart rate monitor might miss subtle arrhythmias or other heart issues that only a proper medical device would catch. Likewise, your blood oxygen level being on point doesn’t mean you’re immune to other underlying health problems.

In short, relying solely on your fitness tracker could mean missing signs that something bad is lingering below the surface, and that’s a gamble you don’t want to take. If it helps you spot certain things about your health, then that’s handy, but don’t get lulled into a false sense of security by your wrist companion.

Your fitness tracker knows a lot about you. From your daily step count to your heart rate fluctuations, sleep patterns, and even your location, these devices collect a ton of sensitive information. That data can be useful for keeping tabs on your health, but it’s easy to forget the security risks that come with storing all this personal info.

We could say the same about your other devices, but health data is particularly sensitive, and not every tracker or app offers top-tier protection. If a hacker gets access to your account, they could potentially gather not only your health stats but also things like your home address and routine. And it’s not just hackers — sometimes, companies themselves don’t do the best job at keeping your data private or giving you the tools to control how it’s used. That’s a big deal for some of us, especially if you prefer to keep your personal life private.

There isn’t a perfect solution to this if you want to track all of your metrics, but it’s a good idea to dig into your tracker’s privacy settings, use strong passwords, and make sure you know exactly how your data is being handled. You wouldn’t hand over your medical records to just anyone, so treat your fitness tracker data with the same caution.

We’re ending on a lighter note, but a lot of people with fitness trackers are interested in improving how they look. That’s fair enough, so you might also want to consider that the tracker itself can leave you with a less-than-ideal fashion statement: the dreaded tan line. Spend enough time outside with that tracker on your wrist, and you might fall victim to it. While that’s more of a cosmetic issue, there’s a more uncomfortable side effect of prolonged use that some users experience: skin irritation.

If you’re not careful, sweat, moisture, and dirt can get trapped under the band, especially during workouts. This can lead to rashes or irritation if left unchecked. The good news is that most of the time, this can be avoided with simple maintenance — just take a few minutes to clean your tracker and your wrist regularly, and maybe give your skin a break by loosening the band or taking it off occasionally.

Some people might be sensitive to certain materials in the band itself, which can cause irritation. If you notice anything along those lines, it’s worth checking what your band is made of. A little bit of upkeep goes a long way in keeping your skin happy.