Versa is not appropriate for minors

[BigDawg609]

Bought Fitbit Versa-2 for wife & daughter as Christmas gifts.

Daughter was very excited and asked me to set it up right away...
When setting up the App it asks for info such as name, email & birth date...
When I entered the birth date for my 12yr old daughter, the app stopped and said I needed to create a family account. Hmm, OK fine.
Logged in with my account, configured the family account and again tried to setup the watch.
Unfortunately, the ONLY device options in a family account are the ACE watches.

I went ahead & tried but no, the App could not find the Versa when its looking for an ACE.

Figured I missed a step somewhere and out of frustration I just modified my daughters birth date until the app would accept it and let me get it setup.

Fast forward almost 2 weeks, finally decided to call support to see what I missed.

According to the rep, the ONLY Fitbit devices for kids are the ACE.
Irreverent, I bought the Versa 2, HOW do I set it up for my daughter?

Per the support rep, You are NOT supposed to. That's still no help.

What am I supposed to do with an expensive gift that was given to a 12 yr old?

Per the rep, give it to someone that is NOT a minor.

I asked the rep WHY the Versa is not for a minor...

Per the rep, it is illegal for Fitbit to collect data on minor and ALL the Fitbit devices EXCEPT the ACE collect data that goes back to Fitbit..

So I asked the rep WHERE this information is disclosed?

It's in the legal Terms & Conditions you agree to when you activate the device.

Brought this topic up at the office & 2 coworkers immediately stated they had the same issue & just changed the date to make it work. They just figured it was a bug in the software.

So I wonder how many people just put in an 'older' date so they could get a device to sync and how many minors Fitbit is illegally collecting data on? 

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[Odyssey13]

Hi  @BigDawg609 due to laws across the world, children are prohibited from having an online account and using these devices. The Ace series was made especially to allow children six and up to use these services. Fitbit is abiding by those laws, so your daughter can't use the Versa 2 unless you lie about her age. Lying about her age would create a problem since the algorithms are made based on gender, age, height and weight. So that would give completely wrong data for your child. 

[MarkMM]

And if I may add, if you lied about her age, Fitbit isn't " illegally collecting data". 

[JuanFitbit]

Hi @Odyssey13 , nice to see you back. Thank you for your comment and information provided. 

@MarkMM , I'm glad to see you around. Thank you for the detailed post and your feedback !

@BigDawg609 , thank you for your post and comments, as well as taking the time to contact our Support Team 

I can get where your frustration comes from! I apologize for the contact you had with our Support Team, if you felt that it wasn't informative .

I just want to jump in to correct and add some information!

As Odyssey13 mentioned. There are laws that prohibits the collection of the private data of minors, they are thought to protect our youth. That is why the Family Account was created, so that parents and/or guardians can have an overview of the child's information, friends requests received, etc. This is all to protect the privacy of a minor. Be aware that our transparency policy, gives the users all the access to the information, how you as user, manage, delete or share it. 

The Ace Family was released, as they will only track the information that won't compromise the minor's privacy! Also the Ace 2 comes with a protection case, that was thought to give the minors the liberty to use the tracker whenever they want to, without being afraid to scratch or damage it while playing. Ace trackers are also thought so that you can invite your child to get fitter or create healthy habits. 

Using a "grown up" account or device, can lead, that some information is published and shared publicly  such as  e.j. GPS routes, or identity of the child, without the parents knowing it, as the kid can do it from his app.

More information about this can be found here: 

https://www.fitbit.com/ace2

How do I manage my Fitbit family account?

On the other hand, we never recommend the change of the age to create an account as this will lead, to have wrong information displayed or recorded, as stated by @Odyssey13 . A lot of the information displayed uses the age, gender, height, and weight to be calculated.

Ej. a 20 year old male person, will burn different amount of calories as a 10 year old kid with the same height and weight! If a user is taking this information to create a food plan, the results of the plan won't be as expected and could create complications. 

If you or your wife decide not to use the Versa 2, my advice would be, if you purchased it  over the Fitbit Store, you have 45 days from the purchase date to return it. This is our satisfaction warranty.

If you purchased it through an authorized retailer, you can always check with them what their return policy is. 

If you are thinking of using the 45 days satisfaction warranty, of the Fitbit Store, let me know . I'll be more than glad to contact Support in your behalf and  you can start the return process with them. 

I'll be around if you have further questions or feedback!

[BigDawg609]

I've already encountered 2 coworkers that also bought their kids Fitbits,
tried to sync with the app, tried creating the child account only to be
offered the ACE as a choice. Their figured it was poorly coded software and
just changed the age so it would work.
My point is that NONE of us saw ANYTHING about the devices we bought for
our kids as being "inappropriate for younger than X age". Fitbit chose to
hide that information in the fine print. If younger kids are not supposed
to have them because of the data you collect (and that data does not HAVE
to be collected) then there should be a BIG DISCLAIMER by each of the
devices.
Are you really so naive that you think the proper action would be for the
parents to take away the coolest watch their kid had ever had... That kid
that was SO EXCITED to get it... and you think it should be taken away and
exchanged for crap (in their mind)?
So Fitbit has created a situation where the only way for their customers to
use the devices that they bought for their kids is to "fake" the age.
Customers just assume it's a bug in the software, others won't care. They
just all want their kids to be happy and they do whatever it takes to make
the **ahem** thing work!
But the disclaimer needs to be big and near the Title.... It's not.

[JuanFitbit]

Hi @BigDawg609 , thank you for you reply and feedback! I understand your point of view and can get where the confusion might come from !

I cannot tell or confirm how our authorized retailers promote or advertise our products. I've taken your feedback and forwarded it to the right team. They'll have a look at it. 

I can only asure you that on our Online Store, we have defined the devices that are meant to be worn by minors.  

Also as my Support team colleague mentioned, the information about the minimum age can found in the Terms of Service

I appreciate your feedback, and let me know if you need more assistance.