Haters of Sponge Bob Squarepants have new ammunition after a recent study that declared that children who watched nine minutes of frenetically paced cartoons like Nick’s favorite sponge did worse afterward on tasks that focus and self control than kids who watched slower paced shows or colored.
This hasn’t been the only red flag study for young television watchers. A 2009 study found that television time decreases back and forth between parents and children that can be crucial to development. Kids in this study watched television than were asked to move disks from one peg to another, a Simon Says Like Game, repeating number sequences, touch body parts and other tasks. Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0912/SpongeBob-study-Do-fast-paced-cartoons-impair-kids-thinking
Too much of anything is never a good thing. Young children should be out playing with friends getting out in fresh air…etc. Not trapped behind a box, this could be a great deal of the childhood obesity epidemic in this country.
Personally, I’ve always thought SpongeBob was one of the most bizarre shows on television. Although in the interest of full disclosure I was raised on Pee Wee’s Playhouse, which was creepy enough for everyone. It makes sense that there would be effects from watching these types of shows.
The question is what do parents do about this? Do they moderate children’s television habits or does their own convenience in a fast paced world trump the detriment of their children?
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