Smartwatch Cuts Tantrums in Children With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

THURSDAY, Dec. 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) – A smartwatch system helps parents shorten and defuse children's severe tantrums, according to a study published online Dec. 15 in JAMA Network Open.Magdalena Romanowicz, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues evaluated the feasibility and adherence of a digitally augmented, real-time, proactive behavioral intervention (smartwatch) for children with disruptive behaviors. Analysis included 50 children (age 3 to 7 years) with clinically significant externalizing behavior problems assigned to either 12 weekly sessions of parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT; treatment as usual) or artificial intelligence (AI)–enhanced PCIT augmented with real-time behavioral outburst alerts.The researchers found that children wore the watch a median 75.7 percent of the time, achieving the feasibility benchmark. In the PCIT-AI arm, the median response time to behavior prompts was 3.65 seconds. There was no statistically significantly greater numerical improvement in Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI)-intensity percentage change, ECBI-problem percentage change subscale scores, or absolute change in Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire scores. However, children in the PCIT-AI arm had significantly shorter mean tantrum durations (10.4 versus 22.1 minutes) and lower odds of tantrums lasting 15 minutes or more (odds ratio, 3.66)."This study shows that even small, well-timed interventions can change the trajectory of a child's emotional dysregulation episode," Romanowicz said in a statement. "These moments give parents a chance to step in with supportive actions -- moving closer, offering reassurance, labeling emotions, and redirecting attention before a tantrum intensifies."Several authors reported financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Smartwatch Cuts Tantrums in Children With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

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