Cartoons Dumbing Down Children

The American scientists have created a list of the cartoons that can dumb children and those that impair their concentration. Among other things, these cartoons included “Sponge Bob Square Pants.”

The researchers from the University of Virginia conducted this study with the participation of 60 children, who were over 4 years old. All the children were divided into 4 groups. The experiment consisted of the following stages: one group of kids were watching the cartoon about Sponge Bob for 9 minutes, while another group were watching a quiet educational cartoon, and the third group of kids were just drawing.

They were then tested for the ability to focus and perform specific tasks. Those children, who had watched the cartoon about Sponge Bob, showed very low levels compared to the kids from the other two groups.

The researchers found these data sufficient to advise parents to select the programs with a slow flow of the plot for their children to watch.

The scientists are conducting another study on how long the mind-dumbing effect of the cartoon lasts. Not having received the results of this experiment yet, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends protecting children from watching TV before the age of two years. After this, it is recommended to give preference to training and developing programs for children of the eligible age. Watching TV should not last for more than two hours a day.

By the way, the researchers have clarified some details, regarding this study. “Sponge Bob” is intended for elementary and middle school children, and not for preschoolers.