I have never been a fan of Spongbob Squarepants and I am not a fan of putting kids in front of the TV all day. I will admit that I turn on the TV for the girls while I making dinner and in the morning while I am trying to get some things done. I think kids watch way to much TV, mine included. While it is on, I know my kids are also reading, drawing, playing dress up. But I still know I should turn the TV off more often.
This morning as I was drinking my coffee and eating my breakfast, I saw the news that will motivate me to make sure we turn that TV off. The headline: "Spongebob Squarepants Causes Attention Problems" . The results showed that in 4 year olds that after watching just nine minutes of Spongebob or similar slow paced cartoons, there were problems with short term attention and learning.
The study was small with a sample of only 60 kids but it does not surprise me. My youngest seems to zone out while the show is on. It is really hard to get her attention. I think there will probably be a larger study with fewer flaws. I had to chuckle at the response from Nickelodeon...the show is really for those kids 6-12 so the 4 year olds are not our target audience. Hello??? Don't the realize kids have older brothers and sisters that might watch the same shows and of course the older sibling usually wins the battle when picking shows to watch.
If only 9 minutes caused problems, I have to wonder what a whole episode or a marathon of shows like that does to a child's attention and ability to learn. Instead of letting the kids watch, turn off the TV! Get up, go outside and play with your kids. You will both benefit from the activity and time together. I know that is what I will be doing!
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