Story highlights Reports of skin irritation prompted McDonald's to remove activity trackers from kids meals

The fast food giant's effort to promote physical fitness sparked debate among experts

(CNN) McDonald's is removing Step-It activity trackers from Happy Meals due to concerns over skin irritations, according to a statement sent to CNN on Wednesday.

"We have taken this swift and voluntary step after receiving limited reports of potential skin irritations that may be associated from wearing the band," company spokeswoman Terri Hickey said in the statement. "Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our customers and we are fully investigating this issue."

The exact number of reports was not specified.

McDonald's is removing Step-It activity trackers from Happy Meals.

Casey Collyar of Arkansas, wrote on Facebook last week that her child was burned by the Happy Meal toy after playing with it for eight minutes. Her post was shared more than 100,000 times.

The fitness trackers, which come in six bright colors, were already being distributed and were set to be available for four weeks in the United States and Canada. The plastic wrist-worn pedometer measures steps and blinks quickly or slowly depending on the pace of the person wearing it.