Watching the famous cartoon 'SpongeBob SquarePants' may obstruct children's quick thinking

Question

Pediatricians and child psychologists have done research on preschool students backing the idea that the beloved fast passed cartoon "SpongeBob SquarePants" negatively effects children's attention spans rather than slower paced cartoons. However, this is not in support that the popular cartoon makes children "dumber".

Answer 1

This is correct. A study preformed by Angeline Lillard, PhD, a professor of psychology and the director of the Early Development Laboratory at the University of Virginia ran an experiment in 2011 to see if fast-paced cartoons had immediate influence on pre-school aged children. The results were that children who watched SpongeBob preformed significantly worse on the cognitive exam than the two controlled groups, and the conclusion was that just 9 minutes of viewing a fast-paced television cartoon had immediate negative effects on 4-year-olds' executive function. he source that originally made this claim, ABC News, is a trusted factual source and the article is hyperlinked to other similar experiments. Further research into the Lillard and this experiment found a piece by the American Academy of Pediatrics where the experiment and results are published. The AAP is a very trusted and esteemed professional association so the fact that this source also backs up the ABC article legitimizes the claim. 

One thing that needs mentioning however is that the claim and the ABC headline say SpongeBob in particular is causing slower executive function, and while the experiment did use SpongeBob as their TV show, researchers state that any fast-paced cartoon has the same effect. I don't think it makes the article misleading because the article clarifies but it's just something to keep in mind.

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/128/4/644/30711/The-Immediate-Impact-of-Different-Types-of?redirectedFrom=fulltext

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/watching-spongebob-makes-preschoolers-slower-thinkers-study-finds/story?id=14482447

https://news.virginia.edu/content/fast-paced-fantastical-television-shows-may-compromise-learning-behavior-young-children

Comments

I really liked how you included an actual study done on the effects of fast-paced cartoons on children in your response. The actual data allows me as a reader to believe that your response is correct, as well as the inclusion of your personal opinion allows for me to form my own and do additional research on more cartoons.

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You did a great job fact-checking and providing a thorough analysis of the sources and I really like how you took the time to track down the original study and its backing by reputable organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics!

Answer 2

This article, “Watching SpongeBob Squarepants Makes Preschoolers Slower Thinkers, Study Finds,” by ABCNews is misleading, but not exaggerated. The article highlights a study done where children were supposed to watch 9 minutes of the Nickelodeon show and then 9 minutes of a slower paced PBS show, and then after were told to focus on a specific task. The results showed that Spongebob had more negative effects in regards to attention span than the PBS show. The article makes it sound as if the content of the Nickelodeon show is what caused the defects, but in reality any sort of entertainment is bound to have negative results on young children. Spongebob is an extremely fast paced show and the National Library of Medicine  concluded in a study that, “Children in the fast-paced television group scored significantly worse than the others despite being equal in attention at the outset, as indicated by the parent report.” Although the Nickelodeon show does make preschoolers slower thinkers, I believe the misleading content of the article lies in the fact that Spongebob Squarepants is specifically called out. Although it had more negative effects than the PBS show, the PBS show still had many negative effects also. A different source from the Child Mind Institute wrote an article on the same study and stated that, “[They] wouldn’t advise watching such shows on the way to school or any time they’re expected to pay attention and learn,” I think it is important to note that it is not just Spongebob Squarepants that is the issue, but rather there is larger scope of society influencing the younger generations in regards to media in the wrong way. Preschool is a susceptible age and it is important that children are not influenced by fast paced media at this time in their lives.  

https://childmind.org/article/is-spongebob-really-bad-for-preschoolers/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9923845/#:~:text=RESULTS%3A,%2C%20age%2C%20and%20television%20exposure.