How SpongeBob Inhibits Learning

[Persia]

Fast-paced programming in shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants may not be suitable for young children, researchers say. A recent study in the journal Pediatrics is one of a few looking at whether what children watch -- in addition to how long they watch -- affects their ability to learn and pay attention.

http://news.discovery.com/human/sponge-bob-children-attention-110912.html

[theGhost_and_theDarkness]

I was about to post this same thing, but I figured someone else had beat me to it.

My take on it?

It's redonkulous. I'm sick of studies about how bad this or that cartoon is. Bugs Bunny cartoons, the roadrunner, Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck are all "bad" now because they're "violent". The Pink Panther is "bad" because he's got a cigarette and it showed inebriated adults. I'm not even going to mention Ren and Stimpy or Rocko's Modern Life.

But you know what? I, and generations before me, grew up on those cartoons and we're FINE. We don't go around dropping 10 ton weights on people's heads or shooting each other in the face because Daffy did it to Elmer and he's fine. Spongebob is no different, if anything it's much milder than some of the cartoons I grew up with. If all we had growing up were educational cartoons, we'd be a bunch of stiff old farts. Like the people who did this study.

And, my son loves Spongebob. He's watched it since before he could even comprehend anything beyond bright colors. So far, no learning problems. He scores the highest in his class on everything. If anything, it's done more to interest him in sea sponges and squids.

Edited September 12, 2011 by theGhost_and_theDarkness

[BiffSplitkins]

Sounds to me like someone at Nickelodean really ticked somebody off somewhere.

Spongebob Squarepants seems to be a more logical and witty cartoon show than most I've seen in the last 20 years.

Of course I come from the Bugs Bunny, Captain Caveman, Sigmund and the Seamonster era of Saturday morning cartoons.

Instead of criticizing a cartoon show maybe they should criticize the fact that is no more such thing as 'Saturday Morning Cartoons'. Kids can watch cartoons anytime and anywhere they want to now. So the parents plop little baby down in front of the ol' T.V. as a babysitter. Then, later in life, the parents wonder why they can't get their teenagers off the PS3/XBox and get outside and play.

[Snakefeet]

Sounds to me like someone at Nickelodean really ticked somebody off somewhere.

Spongebob Squarepants seems to be a more logical and witty cartoon show than most I've seen in the last 20 years.

Of course I come from the Bugs Bunny, Captain Caveman, Sigmund and the Seamonster era of Saturday morning cartoons.

Instead of criticizing a cartoon show maybe they should criticize the fact that is no more such thing as 'Saturday Morning Cartoons'. Kids can watch cartoons anytime and anywhere they want to now. So the parents plop little baby down in front of the ol' T.V. as a babysitter. Then, later in life, the parents wonder why they can't get their teenagers off the PS3/XBox and get outside and play.

This. exactly its not the cartoons themselves its the parents it almost always is