JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A new study from the University of Virginia shows that fast-paced cartoon television shows like SpongeBob SqaurePants can have negative effects on children's learning abilities.
The results of the study could change what shows parents allow their children to watch.
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SpongeBob, Squidward and Patrick are all among the characters of Nickelodeon's popular cartoon show SpongeBob SquarePants, which now might not be so popular with parents after researchers released the study that says it appears children may not concentrate and focus very well after watching fast-paced programming.
Some parents and grandparents in Jacksonville say they're not surprised by this at all.
"I think those probably aren't the best learning shows for them, and there's always crazy stuff happening, and it's probably better that they don't," grandparent Darlene Kimpel said.
According to the study, 60 4-year-olds were tested. They were split into groups of three. One group of kids watched a nine-minute chunk of fast-paced SpongeBob, while the other two groups watched a slower-paced cartoon or colored with crayons and markers.
The result? The preschoolers who watched the fast-paced shows did much worse on the thinking tests than those in the two other groups.
"Children very young, the ages that the study addressed, have a window of opportunity of learning language, problem solving to impulse control during those very critical years," said Dr. Sheldon Kaplan, a child psychologist.
Kaplan said the study also shows that a child's ability to concentrate in a short period of time is affected right after watching fast-paced television. He said that when images are flashing very quickly, as they do on SpongeBob SquarePants, a child's ability to learn, think and reason is diminished.
"I guess I never really thought about it, but I see when a small child, if they were going too fast-paced, that they couldn't grasp all of the concepts," grandparent Faye Lazar said.
Critics of the study say that not enough children were used in the study, so the methodology is questionable. Nickelodeon added that SpongeBob is intended to be viewed by children ages 6-11, not preschoolers.