SpongeBob Squarepants has had its fair share of negative claims thrown at it over the years. The latest one says the lovable sponge – and similar shows – can cause short term attention in kids.
The cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants is in hot water from a study suggesting that watching just nine minutes of that program can cause short-term attention and learning problems in 4-year-olds.
The problems were seen in a study of 60 children randomly assigned to either watch “SpongeBob,” or the slower-paced PBS cartoon “Caillou” or assigned to draw pictures. Immediately after these nine-minute assignments, the kids took mental function tests; those who had watched “SpongeBob” did measurably worse than the others.
Previous research has linked TV-watching with long-term attention problems in children, but the new study suggests more immediate problems can occur after very little exposure — results that parents of young kids should be alert to, the study authors said.
Nickelodeon responded to the claims saying that the study does not have merit because the kids who were tested were not in SpongeBob’s demographic.
Do you think children’s television in general is harmful?