McDonald's pulls wearable from Happy Meals over skin irritation

File photo (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File) (AP2007)

McDonald's attempt to help kids work off that Happy Meal has backfired. The fast-food chain is reportedly pulling its kid-friendly wearable following reports of skin irritation.

As part of an Olympics-related marketing scheme, McDonald's on Tuesday launched the Step It! tracker—a colorful plastic version of popular fitness bands. According to Marketing magazine, the gadgets—handed out with Happy Meals in the US and Canada— provide a daily step count and blink based on the speed of the child's movement.

Alas, the well-intentioned promotion has been cut short.

"We are voluntarily removing the Step It! Activity Band Happy Meal toys in our [US and Canadian] restaurants," a McDonald's spokeswoman told PCMag. "We have taken this swift and voluntary step after receiving limited reports of potential skin irritations that may be associated from wearing the band.

"Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our customers and we are fully investigating this issue," the company statement continued. "Our restaurants are now offering our youngest guests an alternative Happy Meal toy."

If your child is super into counting her daily steps or tracking his sleep, there are some kid-friendly options, including the LeapFrong LeapBand activity tracker aimed at ages four to seven. Parents of older kids can also check out PCMag's lineup of The Best Fitness Trackers of 2016.

For the record, a Happy Meal with hamburger, fries, apple slices, and juice box (one of various possible combinations) contains 460 calories.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.