There have been rumors going around saying nickelodeon plans on cancelling a show we all know and love, Spongebob. This provoked me to remember when a popular topic of conversation a few years ago. Watching spongebob makes you stupid.
Scientists from the University of Virginia conducted a study with three groups of pre-schoolers. The independent variable was the activity each group participated in, the first watching spongebob, the second watching a slower-paced TV show, and the third group was asked to color with paper and markers. They then were each asked to take four tests and the test group who watched spongebob had significantly lower scores than the others
Spongebob was intended to be viewed by 6-11 year olds, not pre-schoolers. At that age they are far too young to understand the point of comedy and absorb it as a lesson of how to act. But even at this suggested age I feel like children do not understand everything Spongebob has to offer.
Angeline Lillard of the University of Virginia says that it does not harm intelligence but it drains attention. Attention is a cognitive ability, it can be drained throughout the day but this draining has no long term effects. Therefore, Spongebob is NOT harming children’s brains.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20914-spongebob-drains-attention-but-doesnt-harm-brains/
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/12/news/la-heb-spongebob-squarepants-children-brain-20110912
I don’t believe that the study concludes that sponge bob makes you stupid at all. I think the kids who watched Sponge Bob were probably just distracted with their thoughts about wanting to watch the show more. The kids who watched the boring show obviously aren’t thinking about watching that show and in turn are probably more focused on the test.
First off, let me go on record saying I thoroughly enjoy every moment of Spongebob, but I think this study does not give justice to other possible negative effects Spongebob might have on young children. At that age, children are just begining to learn how to act and behave, and they draw a lot of their behaviors and actions from what they watch on TV. Spongebob is not necessarily the best show for someone to learn moral values from. Often, the characters find themselves in silly and ridiculous situations, and they do not always respond with ideal ethical standards. I think shows like Spongebob are okay for children to watch for comedic value, but they should balance in episodes of TV shows with educational values to help them grow up to be well rounded, respectful adults.