Fidget toys said to help people focus, relieve stress

It can come in cubes, it can come in three-pronged spinners, these toys - called fidget spinners - are more than just novelties that give people something to do with their hands.

"It also helps ordinary people, yung mga bata, mga estudyante din, to focus also. It helps them relieve stress," sociologist Bro. Clifford Sorita explained during Friday's episode of GMA 7 News program "24 Oras".

Jojo Nepomuceno also found it useful for her son, who has attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). "It helps yung attention I think, yung tension niya," said  Nepomuceno. "Kasi meron siyang ginagawa with his fingers.

However, despite the popularity of the spinners, these had been banned in schools in the US and UK.

"If you bring it to the classroom, pag nagaaral ka, nagtuturo teacher mo, nagpapaikot ka, 'di lang ikawa nadidistract, kundi yung classmate mo, yung teacher mo. So, of course, it also disrupts learning in the classroom," Sorita pointed out.

There had also been an incident in which a child had swallowed a spinner, and it was thus recommended that the the toy be kept away from very young children. — Rie Takumi/DVM, GMA News