By: Lynnel H. Bott, Your Black World
The children’s TV show, Spongebob Squarepants,is detrimental to the brain development of 4-year-olds, according to a new study.
The popular program has been found to shorten the attention span ---and contribute to learning problems---for children who watch just 9 minutes of the program per day, according to the medical Journal, Pediatrics.
The study included 60 children, who were chosen randomly to either watch 9 minutes of Spongebob Squarepants or the PBS series Caillou --- or draw pictures; afterwards, the children were given test of mental function.
Those children who watched the undersea fry cook did much worse than the other children.
According to Angeline Lillard, the study’s lead author, and a psychology professor at the University of Virginia. Spongebob---and shows like it---can negatively affect toddlers because of their fast pace. “I wouldn’t advise watching such shows on the way to school or any time they’re expected to pay attention and learn,” she added.
The study was dismissed by a spokesman for Nickelodeon as flawed:
“Having 60 non-diverse kids, who are not part of the show’s targeted [audience], watch 9 minutes of programming is questionable methodology and could not possibly provide the basis for any valid findings that parents could trust,” he said. Spongebob Squarepants is a show meant for kids 6 to 11, not 4.
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