SpongeBob blamed for harming children's concentration

Researchers from the University of Virginia found that children who watched just nine minutes of a fast-paced cartoon scored significantly worse on ‘executive functioning’ tasks – tasks our brains perform that are necessary to think, act and solve problems - compared to those who watched an educational television programme or did some drawing for the same period of time.

A group of 60 four-year-olds were selected to either watch clips of SpongeBob SquarePants, an educational show or draw for nine minutes.

For the fast-paced show, the scene completely changed on average every 11 seconds and characters were almost constantly rapidly moving, whereas the educational programme had a complete scene change around every 34 seconds.

According to the study's authors, popular children’s shows such as Sesame Street have become more fast-paced than they were 30 years ago.

After watching the TV shows or drawing, children were asked to complete a series of ‘executive functioning’ tasks including the Tower of Hanoi, a mathematical puzzle, the Head, Toes, Knees, Shoulders (HTKS) game, which measures self-regulation and ability to control behaviour, and a delay-of-gratification task. At the same time, parents completed a media survey to indicate the number of minutes their child watches television and DVDs each week, and a strengths and difficulties questionnaire.

The authors warn that given the popularity of fast-paced cartoons among young children, parents should be alert to the possibility that their child’s executive functioning may be affected immediately after watching such shows.

They conclude that more research is needed as most children typically watch cartoons in half-hour blocks. They also suggest examining whether older children are influenced by fast-paced television and if there are any long-term effects.

Nickelodeon, which produces Spongebob,  hit back saying that while SpongeBob is targeted at children aged from six to 11–years-old, the study focused on four-year-olds.

In a statement the company said, ‘Having 60 non-diverse kids, who are not part of the show’s targeted demo, watch nine minutes of programming is questionable methodology and could not possibly provide the basis for any valid findings that parents could trust.’

• The study, The immediate impact of different types of television on young children's executive function is published online in the journal Paediatrics.