He lives in a pineapple under the sea and apparent he also hurts your child’s brain according to a research research study.
In the study researchers showed children a nine-minute SpongeBob SquarePants video, while another control group watched educational programming from the PBC education program Caillou while a third group spent that same time drawing. The group of four year old children were then tested to see how well they could stay on task without being distracted. According to researchers the SpongeBob group was significantly worse at staying on task and avoiding distractions than both of the other groups.
A pediatrician speaking on the Today show said of the study:
“Most parents worry too much about how much TV their children watch and not enough about what they watch,” while adding, “It’s not about turning the TV off. It’s about changing the channel.”
Nickelodeon took very little time to fire back at the study, noting that the show is aimed at children 6-to-11-years-old and not the 4-year-old group used for the study. In fact, Nick reps says 4-year-old children “are clearly not the intended demographic.”
I understand the point of the study, but was there really any doubt that SpongeBob SquarePants isn’t an educational program? Most of the time SpongeBob and Patrick run around for no apparent reason, performing tasks that children learn nothing from. It obvious the show is meant to be entertaining and not necessarily educational.
What do you think about the SpongeBob SquarePants study? Do you let your children watch the cartoon?
Any time spent watching non-educational television, no matter what the show is going to prove less valuable than doing something with your hands, reading, or interacting with an educational program. I think it is wrong to mark Sponge Bob as damaging. Where is the data comparing one non educaitonal program with another non-educaitonal program? Why pick on Sponge Bob? Did the character say something politically incorrect? Is the artist a 911 truther who has gained the angst of the controlled media due to his independent thinking? What's the real reason for this crucifixtion? I think we have witnessed another waste of grant money for a stupid study.
wat about 30 yr old people?
I get the point, but why must EVERYTHING have to have educational value….these are 4 year olds…let them have a little fun, and anyway, isn't a good laugh now and then valuable?
hell yeah I let all 3 of my kids 6 9 and 13 watch spongebob when ever they want they love it what make him any worse then tom and jerry that we grew up with a cat that never gets the mouse that he chaces arond the whole show I also think it was a waste of money on this study my kids will keep watching spongebob until they prove other wise it is bad for them.
Interesting study. Might have to make time to read it. However, regardless of what I might ultimately think of the study, and of the myriad and perennial issues regarding both television viewing in general, and particular television content, I have to respectfully point out that when I see a paragraph like the following, I cringe a bit because it hurts the credibility of the writer.
"I understand the point of the study but was their really any doubt that SpongeBob SquarePants isn’t an educational program. Most of the time SpongeBob and Patrick run around for no apparent reason, performing tasks that children learn nothing from. It obvious the show is meant to be entertaining and not necessarily educational."
And, it's even more glaring when you consider the paragraph above is about "education". We don't build a good case for our opinions when our writing is this careless. Sorry.
For an article on the educational value of certain television shows, the author/editor would have done well to spellcheck for correct usage of there/their and then/than.
This is retarded….look back on the cartoons we watched as kids? Are you kidding me? They hear and see and watch worse things on a day to day basis thru driving around, listening to songs being played on the raDio, watching friends at school, even parents expose their children to worse things than sponge Bob.
Let us ponder for a second that perhaps the tasks these 4 year olds were given were more engaging then the educational programs, and the drawing, but you have to work really hard to find something more engaging to a child then a rowdy nonsense cartoon with no point and alot of singing dancing and laughing…..Then let us find a real study, perhaps one that tracks the (now) success rate of adults who spent the 90's watching Bevis and Butthead (or CatDog) vs the success rate of kids who in the 80's watched TMNT or Transformers (cartoons which tried at least minimally to include a social lesson of some kind or another) and match those with the success rates of (then) children who spent more of those decades watching Sesame St. or The Electric Company(shows with an over abundance of social/educatoinal programming) and see how the numbers fare. How about the success rates of people who spent their childhoods outside….or better yet, who spent most of their childhood working odd jobs…..
Please proofread your articles before publishing. "I understand the point of the study but was their really any doubt that SpongeBob SquarePants….." The word "their" should be "there". Hard to take an article seriously about our children's education when the author does not use the proper grammar and spelling.
Spongebob hurts kids brains? Are you kidding me? My niece watches the show and she is only 2. I don't think this show has anything to do with messing up a child's brain because she is only 2 and she knows how to work an ipod and she is speaks English and Spanish now; how many adults were bilingual at 2yrs old? I think that sponge-bob is just a excuse to blame your kids for not being as smart. Did anyone say anything about Tom and Jerry causing kids to beat up each other? That was violent a show..Why do u think the Simpsons used that as a main joke…The itchy and scratchy show. At that childs age, they do not know those inside jokes or that violent scene unless someone points it out to them, Why ruin their fun? All I'm saying if you want your children to be scholars at 4yrs old, don't hold your breath but if you do want them to be better in education that u were then turn the tv to pbs, give them a book or pull out the flashcards.
They must have already corrected it.
ON the Other hand, if there is a social lesson to be taught our children in Spongebob Squarepants, it is a truly disturbing message indeed. The "child" (Spongebob), who I assume is about 15 or 16 (given his several failed attempts at acquiring his license) WORKS his JOB, for which he is gladly not paid, religiously and has neurotic breaks downs every time he performs less than perfectly, and displays obsessive compulsive fits of anxiety when he is not at his job…relative to That, the Under water squirrel love interest, the brainless starfish best friend, and the miserly sweatshop resturaunt owner/boss and jelly-fishing with butterfly nets is nothing.
Karen Chowning HAHAHA THEY DID!
i dont know about kids but sponge bob hurts my brain!! of course most cartoons are very annoying these days.
if spongebob is bad what the hell I guess we will all nee to let our kids watch family guy bevis and butthead american dad south park hello pick or choose yall.
Why do people think that just because a program is educational that it isn't fun? I won't allow SpongeBob to be on any tv in my house-I've been saying what this study showed ever since that stupidity came out. Lots of educational programs are fun for kids to watch. Magic School Bus MUST be fun-I was changing channels the other day, and my 3-year-old granddaughter begged to keep watching it-and it isn't just fun, it's EDUCATIONAL. If we think things are tough for us now, just wait until these little ones grow up-I'm sure things will be even worse. It's up to us to help them along, not hinder them.
Also, kids don't just sit in front of the tv all the time-they go outside and play and I'm sure that's plenty of fun for them without it having to be educational. I guess my question is: What's wrong with educational?
I let my 3 year old watch it.. he is extremely intellligent and stays on task fine as long as its something he 'WANTS" to be doing.. I think the money spent to do that research would have been better served by feeding a few hungry kids or putting shoes on their feet. Most of this research isa waste of time.
I would like to know just how the cartoon, "SpongeBob" is hurting the brain? No evidence was given to show this allegation.
BULL HOKEY PICK ON VIDEO GAME NOT GOOFY SPONGEBOB.
Eleanor, as the article states, it was based off cognitive responses children gave after watching the show compared to others. In fact even Nick kinda admitted such by stating 4-year-olds are not the intended audience. There has been dozens of well respected studies that also show children at very young ages can't process TV shows properly. It's part of why Young Einstein was forced to pay back $100 million under Disney control for falsely claiming they made children smart. As children learn to process better cognitively that scenario changes. In the meantime, I'm an adult and SpongeBob makes me laugh sometimes.
I agree Lisa, educational can be fun
spongebob does but know other show dos"nt.
what's the point
no!
James Allen Johnson I guessI was concerned about the choice of the word "hurts" as opposed to something like, has no valueor , but i saw no actual "hurt." I, myself like SpongeBob"…but i think it more an adult entertainment, lol. But, then, I thought that about Bugs bunny stuff too….
SpongeBob hurts my brain.
Eleanor Bisick I love bugs! I only used the word hurt because it was used in the findings. Then again loud music, the wrong teaching methods…really what doesn't hurt our brains these days
I'm not trying to be mean, and I don't claim to be perfect, but given some of the capitalization, grammatical and spelling errors in the comments of people who LIKE SpongeBob I'd say they need to stop watching that show themselves. The grandchild I referred to in my last comment is learning 3 languages simutaneously. We don't PUSH it on her, she watches shows that teach them, and I am learning them also and I interact with her in all three languages, though not ALL THE TIME. We do have play time and she goes outside to play with her friends with NO educational qualities in there.
I realized I said "educational" in my comment, I meant to say "educational television"
jordan, i am VERY well versed in spongebob… and let me tell ya… he hurts EVERYONE'S brain if you're over (i'm pretty sure) 8…!
My husband likes watching it with the kids, I think he enjoys it more than the kids. It is one of the only newer cartoons he can stomach watching, He thinks most of the newer cartoons are stupid.
Spongebob is the devil! =)
1st off…who the hell thought Sponge Bob actually had a purpose other than to annoy parents? lol 2nd you have to be an idiot to believe there is truly educational backing to the show (you've really gotta reach for that) and 3rd I agree with Lrie Steiner "why must EVERYTHING have to have educational value" can't kids just have some effin fun for the hell of it? We all got to do that when we were younger.
Now I have a good reason to loathe that show!
werent cartoons created to be entertainment, not education? I mean really if you are going to do a study on a cartoon do a study on tom & jerry or the old looney toones where all they did was run around with dangerous weapons trying to hurt or kill each other…..and then take a look at the now adults that were children when those cartoons came out…..i would rather my child watch spongebob over tom and jerry or older looney toones because I'm afraid that she might think you can shoot somebody and all that will come of it is a ruffled appearance! that's the kind of things those cartoons portray and all spongebob portrays is good clean fun and being a good friend! stop wasting money on studies like this and use the money for something useful!
tv is entertainment. it is the parents job, not the tv's, to educate thier children.
bob can rot my brain anyday great cartoon.
I'm 20 years old and I STILL watch Spongebob. I think it's hilarious. If my brain rots to mush then so be it. No regrets. LOL. Not everything has to be educational. People need to lighten up. Do we really want our kids to be serious all the time? What fun is that? It's not hurting anybody, so why not let them be goofy kids and enjoy the freedom why they have it.
TV can also be educational. If a parent (or other caretaker) were to just put the child in front of the television to be the babysitter then I'd say that's wrong altogether. We sit in front of the tv and talk about what's being watched during commercials to see if she's even paying attention to it. I've even learned a few things from these shows!
I think it is obvious that spongebob is not educational, I don't think that is the point here. I think the point of this study is that shows like spongebob are detrimental to a child's ability to focus. The show is so fast paced and chaotic that it is difficult for small children to keep up. basically their minds are overwhelmed after watching just a few minutes of this show. Shows like Caillou are slower paced and easier for small children to process. I don't think that the people doing the study were trying to attack spongebob, or say that children should only watch educational shows. I have three children, ages 5, 4, and 2, and I found this study very informative. My kids all love Caillou, and they also enjoy spongebob. I for one can see a difference in their behavior after watching these shows, and I must say that I agree with the study. I don't forbid my children from watching spongebob, but I definitely encourage them to watch shows like caillou over shows like spongebob whenever they do have tv time, and most of the time, caillou wins!