Researchers say watching fast-paced cartoons like SpongeBob SquarePants negatively affects young children’s ability to solve problems and damages their memory.

In a study by psychologists at the University of Virginia, four-year-olds who were shown fast-paced cartoons with rapidly changing scenes performed worse on problem-solving tasks than children who were shown slower sequences.

In the SpongeBob SquarePants sequence, the scene changed every 11 seconds, while in the slower cartoon, the scene changed every 34 seconds.

The psychologists who led the study say that rapidly changing cartoons affect the part of the brain that controls “executive functions,” which include memory, goal-directed behavior and the ability to cope with delayed gratification.

“Our findings are consistent with other studies showing a long-term negative association between entertainment television viewing and attention,” said Dr. Angeline Lillard of the University of Virginia, whose study was published in the journal Pediatrics.

“Given the popularity of some fast-paced cartoons among young children, it is important that parents be aware of the possibility that young children may experience declines in executive functioning, at least immediately after viewing such programs.”

What do you think? Should toddlers watch shows like SpongeBob SquarePants? Does your toddler/preschooler watch TV?

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