# New Study: Spongebob rots your child's brain



## punisher73 (Sep 12, 2011)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44460161/ns/health-childrens_health/?GT1=43001

Interesting that more and more research shows that the types of programs popular with young children are "programming" our children's brains to be more attention deficient as they get older.


----------



## granfire (Sep 12, 2011)

punisher73 said:


> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44460161/ns/health-childrens_health/?GT1=43001
> 
> Interesting that more and more research shows that the types of programs popular with young children are "programming" our children's brains to be more attention deficient as they get older.


Not exactly news.
Old hat actually.

But I see no solution. Aside from things like, you know, _parenting._
I tried to restrict shows like that as much as possible, but the quick amusement, lack of viewer involvement make them very popular, add in the shallow subject matter and humor....and as such also a network's darling. (look at Avatar, the Last Airbender for comparison...half an hour of suspense, a story line that continued through 3 seasons, and if you missed an episode, you missed out! It was Nick's red headed stepchild....the follow up series is already off to the same crappy start...neglecting a host of opportunities...)

Do you blame the media for it, following the mighty buck down to the lowest denominator?

(But actually, I think the constant commercial breaks are worse than stupid content....I can't watch a full length movie anymore without running out of the room many times...15 min 'DING' gotta run...I used to sit through them as a kid...)


----------



## punisher73 (Sep 12, 2011)

I don't know why, but it still surprises me how many "parents" ignore the research about tv programming and digital signals and just plop their kids in front of the TV to do their rearing for them.


----------



## Steve (Sep 12, 2011)

punisher73 said:


> I don't know why, but it still surprises me how many "parents" ignore the research about tv programming and digital signals and just plop their kids in front of the TV to do their rearing for them.


I don't know if I completely buy it.  In addition to the genetic memory inherited from the parents, each kid has a unique personality.  My two oldest both watched cartoons.  Both play video games.  Both watch a lot of youtube and crap that makes my brain hurt.  And still, they are both bright kids who do pretty well in school (my daughter is excelling).   My son struggles with grades, but for exactly the same reason I did... and my dad did.  My belief is that this is all an excuse.  We are overstimulated as a society, but it's not just kids.  It's everyone, and the answer isn't to keep kids from watching spongebob.  It's to teach kids to cope with the overwhelming amount of information with which they are bombarded.  

Also, the age group is 4 years old?  They're comparing that to Cailou?  Really?  It's like comparing the Simpsons to the Bubble Guppies.  Two completely different target audiences.  My oldest didn't enjoy Spongebob until they were around 9 or so.  My littlest is 3 and most of that show is over her head.


----------



## NSRTKD (Sep 12, 2011)

stevebjj said:


> Also, the age group is 4 years old? They're comparing that to Cailou? Really? It's like comparing the Simpsons to the Bubble Guppies. Two completely different target audiences. My oldest didn't enjoy Spongebob until they were around 9 or so. My littlest is 3 and most of that show is over her head.



I honestly think that parents who use programming as a babysitter, or allow kids to sit in a world of video games such as the Nintendo DS where they DONT have to interact at all with their environment are the cause of ADD/ADHD spectrum disorders, rather than the programming itself. It's like saying "Alcohol causes Fetal Alcohol syndrome" - NO it doesn't mothers who drink while pregnant cause fetal alcohol syndrome. Kids can enjoy programming in moderation (or be restricted to watching shows that their parents feel ENHANCE their learning experience) without having damage from it.

But on the note of Caillou, I banned that little kid from my house for several years because of the WHINING. The show doesn't promote behaviors of confidence, because the little kid whines his way through everything and gets what he wants. Not that it rots brains, but that parents need to be conscious of what is good for their specific children and filter their programming accordingly.

Now that my kids are much out of that stage, they get to watch Caillou occasionally. But not all the time!


----------



## granfire (Sep 12, 2011)

LOL, Caillou....my husband was kidding about having to watch that show (at work). Naturally he got the DVD for Father's day :lol:

But I do see - on myself - how you can get conditioned to a certain behavior: Learned ADHD...Spongebob is actually a 15 minute show...as are most of the popular kid shows today...
However, as a teacher told me, if the kid can concentrate for prolonged times, like on video games, they don't really have ADHD...just ants in their pants...let's face it...TV is not attention garnering anymore...it's a background noise these days.


----------



## MA-Caver (Sep 12, 2011)

The real simple solution to it is unplug the damned tv and kick the kids outside to play (in the yard or at the park). 
Warner Brothers cartoons (Bugs, Daffy, Porky, et al) were fine when I was growing up (but now as I look at them today... still funny but that violence is something that never seems to be addressed), but I probably spent all told maybe 2 hours a day on tv. :idunno: It's like how they (used to) blame rock and roll for suicides or drug use or sexual promiscuity or any other of a host of other evils that parents want to blame on for how their kids turn out, so that the blame doesn't shift to them. A child is a responsibility no matter how they cut it and a big one at that. Can't handle it, get tubes tied or a vasectomy. Got one accidentally (unplanned) then deal with it. Love it, care for it and raise it with the best values you have. Don't let tv, music, games, computers and shrinks tell your kids how they should behave.


----------



## Steve (Sep 12, 2011)

I agree that parents are the key here.  I also agree that kids need to play outside.  It's about balance and teaching kids good habits.  However, I also think that the key isn't to try and limit the amount of data to which kids are exposed.  That's futile.  Instead, I think we'll have a lot more success if we try to teach kids how to manage the data.  We teach kids algebra at 11 years old now.  My three year old can surf the net.  It's amazing and inspiring how quickly our kids are learning things.  But we're failing (as a society) to teach them how to relax.

Honestly, my opinion is that we aren't teaching them because we don't know.  The rate at which we've exploded into the information age is astounding.  Where we are now vs when I met my wife 18 or so years ago is completely different.  I believe that our kids' generation is the one that will figure it out and they'll teach us how to cope with all this information.  Not the other way around.  They're blazing the trail. 

Just my two cents.  



> Don't let tv, music, games, computers and shrinks tell your kids how they should behave.


This I agree with.  Just do your best.  No such thing as a perfect parent.  Fortunately, kids in general are amazingly resilient.  And no matter how bad or how good of a job we think we're doing, they're likely going to end up a lot like us.


----------



## Carol (Sep 12, 2011)

stevebjj said:


> I agree that parents are the key here.  I also agree that kids need to play outside.  It's about balance and teaching kids good habits.  However, I also think that the key isn't to try and limit the amount of data to which kids are exposed.  That's futile.  Instead, I think we'll have a lot more success if we try to teach kids how to manage the data.  We teach kids algebra at 11 years old now.  My three year old can surf the net.  It's amazing and inspiring how quickly our kids are learning things.  But we're failing (as a society) to teach them how to relax.
> 
> Honestly, my opinion is that we aren't teaching them because we don't know.  The rate at which we've exploded into the information age is astounding.  Where we are now vs when I met my wife 18 or so years ago is completely different.  I believe that our kids' generation is the one that will figure it out and they'll teach us how to cope with all this information.  Not the other way around.  They're blazing the trail.
> 
> ...



Kids?  Go outside??  That's dangerous, ya know. 

When  you were a kid, did you "disappear" (as my mom would call it) alone or  with the neighborhood kids for hours at a time?  Playing, exploring,  running around, going out with the bikes?  I did...often to my parents'  chagrin.     I think parents are less likely to allow this today due to  awareness of the dangers kids can face.

Parks and Rec departments are facing slashed budgets.  Schools are  cutting enrichment programs such as art, music, and phys ed.  This is  resulting in fewer opportunities for kids to be active.  One of the  parks where my family and I would go to when I was a kid was closed by  the state.  Others don't look the same as they did when I was  younger....perhaps because the towns have to be more conscientious of  liability insurance and the like.

Many families are getting tapped out from the demands of keeping food on  the table and a roof over their heads.  I think this is leading to  people doing less things such as eating together as a family, or even  going outside with your kids to rough-house or toss a frisbee around or  pitch a whiffle ball.   There also has been a trend away from recreation  activities that people do together as a family.   When I was younger,  my dad would take me skiing at small, low-cost or no-cost ski areas.    My folks sent me to the larger mountains as a treat, or for formal  lessons.    Now -- even in a place like New Hampshire -- many family  oriented ski areas have closed permanently, others are struggling.

I think this is a very complex problem, with many facets and no easy solution.


----------



## joshbrown (Sep 12, 2011)

I don't get it.

If watching SpongeBob can negatively affect a kid's attention span, then how is it that most kids I know can sit through four straight episodes at full attention? And then ask for more?


----------



## NSRTKD (Sep 12, 2011)

The issue is not whether or not they can sit thru spongebob, but rather whether they can sit through a family dinner, or a storybook, or to draw an entire drawing without seeking extra stimulation.Then again, stories and family dinners and drawing are unknown to a lot of families these days. Parents get disappointed when their kids can't pay attention in school or function socially, when they haven't encouraged those behaviors themselves because they have let their kids sit through four straight episodes of spongebob where the stimulation changes every six seconds.


----------



## MA-Caver (Sep 12, 2011)

naomisarah said:


> The issue is not whether or not they can sit thru spongebob, but rather whether they can sit through a family dinner, or a storybook, or to draw an entire drawing without seeking extra stimulation.Then again, stories and family dinners and drawing are unknown to a lot of families these days. Parents get disappointed when their kids can't pay attention in school or function socially, when they haven't encouraged those behaviors themselves because they have let their kids sit through four straight episodes of spongebob where the stimulation changes every six seconds.


 Yeah it's almost akin to Pavlov's bell test. Watch enough of something and the mind is conditioned to the rapid changes of stimulation offered not only by the program itself but by the commercials which can be very loud, in your face and rapid fire imagery and oft times about 5-7 of them before returning to the show... then show the same commercials again and again. So is it any wonder that kids don't have the patience to sit through a single class on a singular subject on a regularly paced school day?


----------



## JohnEdward (Sep 12, 2011)

What a bunch horse hockey! PBS is and has been losing viewers ever since Seame Street got PC on the cookie monster.  Sponge Bob, is far better than Scooby Do, Speed Racer, Howdy Doody, take your pick. TV always has been mindless entertainment, look at what has happened to the Discovery, A&E, and the History Channels. Roomer room, and Seame Street has made generations of super smart kids, who all grew up geniuses because of it.   It is PBS trash talking their competition. Sponge Bob has morals and ethics. Isn't that a value?


----------



## granfire (Sep 12, 2011)

JohnEdward said:


> What a bunch horse hockey! PBS is and has been losing viewers ever since Seame Street got PC on the cookie monster.  Sponge Bob, is far better than Scooby Do, Speed Racer, Howdy Doody, take your pick. TV always has been mindless entertainment, look at what has happened to the Discovery, A&E, and the History Channels. Roomer room, and Seame Street has made generations of super smart kids, who all grew up geniuses because of it.   It is PBS trash talking their competition. Sponge Bob has morals and ethics. Isn't that a value?



Sadly PBS has canceled a lot of the good quiet shows in favor of some hideous colorful garbage....


----------



## granfire (Sep 12, 2011)

naomisarah said:


> The issue is not whether or not they can sit thru spongebob, but rather whether they can sit through a family dinner, or a storybook, or to draw an entire drawing without seeking extra stimulation.Then again, stories and family dinners and drawing are unknown to a lot of families these days. Parents get disappointed when their kids can't pay attention in school or function socially, when they haven't encouraged those behaviors themselves because they have let their kids sit through four straight episodes of spongebob where the stimulation changes every six seconds.



_I_ am guilty of not being able to sit through dinner anymore....

Off to find a solution....


----------



## Steve (Sep 12, 2011)

JohnEdward said:


> What a bunch horse hockey! PBS is and has been losing viewers ever since Seame Street got PC on the cookie monster.  Sponge Bob, is far better than Scooby Do, Speed Racer, Howdy Doody, take your pick. TV always has been mindless entertainment, look at what has happened to the Discovery, A&E, and the History Channels. Roomer room, and Seame Street has made generations of super smart kids, who all grew up geniuses because of it.   It is PBS trash talking their competition. Sponge Bob has morals and ethics. Isn't that a value?


What do you mean, "PC on the cookie monster?"  I watch Sesame Street with my 3 year old and haven't seen him look any different than ever.


----------



## granfire (Sep 12, 2011)

stevebjj said:


> What do you mean, "PC on the cookie monster?"  I watch Sesame Street with my 3 year old and haven't seen him look any different than ever.



You have been away too long from Sesame Street: Cookies are no longer the monster's sole diet. It's now a 'sometimes food'


----------



## Jenna (Sep 12, 2011)

Provided they are not excessively consumed or used as naomisarah suggests, as a babysitter, I do not believe these shows rot a child's mind or hinder development.  Nevertheless, I do not see there is much to assist development either.  

I locked off all the animated channels when mine was younger when I felt it was a time of day when his brain should have been focussed. 

I did not mind him though watching Nick or Cartoon Network for a little while at a time when his mind could go into sleep mode after homework or on weekend mornings.  I did watch that programming with a mixture of bemusement and confusion I have to say.  I always thought these shows were bubble gum for the brain.  I never felt the same about children's drama with like, um, real people n stuff.  I always thought "manned" shows were beneficial and had some thought and youthful moral to them. A reflection of my age and squareness I guess. Just like Spongebob.


----------



## JohnEdward (Sep 12, 2011)

Allot has changed on SS that is for sure, now there is and was talk of Bert and Ernie getting married. Maybe it isn't PBS alone behind the killing off of SB. I think behind the vail is no other than SS, it's self.  After what 40 years on the air it has turned into a monster.


----------



## granfire (Sep 12, 2011)

JohnEdward said:


> Allot has changed on SS that is for sure, now there is and was talk of Bert and Ernie getting married. Maybe it isn't PBS alone behind the killing off of SB. I think behind the vail is no other than SS, it's self.  After what 40 years on the air it has turned into a monster.


But hey, Katy Perry is too adult to play dressup with Elmo....


----------



## Steve (Sep 12, 2011)

granfire said:


> You have been away too long from Sesame Street: Cookies are no longer the monster's sole diet. It's now a 'sometimes food'


I watch Sesame Street more than a few times each week with my 3 year old.  He still fiends for cookies like a strung out heroin addict.  I hadn't heard this before, but it smacks of over reaction.  He does eat other things, but rest assured, he's thoroughly jonesing for cookies.  

REgarding Bert and Ernie, I have heard about the allegations that they would get married.  Much as various interest groups have tried to say that Velma was a dyke, Bert and Ernie are a gay couple, and the Tellytubbies were gay, I think there's a place where kids shows are asexual.  Bert and Ernie are muppets.  Let's try to avoid politicizing them or sexualizing them.


----------



## Steve (Sep 12, 2011)

JohnEdward said:


> Allot has changed on SS that is for sure, now there is and was talk of Bert and Ernie getting married. Maybe it isn't PBS alone behind the killing off of SB. I think behind the vail is no other than SS, it's self.  After what 40 years on the air it has turned into a monster.


John.  I'm not sure I understand what you're driving at.  Are you suggesting that PBS and Sesame Street are commissioning studies for ratings?  That's what it sounds like.

While I think the study is a little bogus, I don't believe for a minute that it's the result of some nefarious plot to ruin Nickelodeon or Spongebob.


----------



## joshbrown (Sep 12, 2011)

I'd like to know just how many of you speaking up here have young children. Stories and family dinners are far from becoming an unknown, Sesame Street never ever discussed Bert and Ernie getting married (thier position is that puppets do not have sexual orientation), and Cookie Monster still eats quite a bit of cookies.


----------



## joshbrown (Sep 12, 2011)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/11/bert-and-ernie-gay-marriage-no_n_924808.html


----------



## Steve (Sep 12, 2011)

joshbrown said:


> I'd like to know just how many of you speaking up here have young children. Stories and family dinners are far from becoming an unknown, Sesame Street never ever discussed Bert and Ernie getting married (thier position is that puppets do not have sexual orientation), and Cookie Monster still eats quite a bit of cookies.


YES!  Thank you.


----------



## JohnEdward (Sep 12, 2011)

stevebjj said:


> John.  I'm not sure I understand what you're driving at.  Are you suggesting that PBS and Sesame Street are commissioning studies for ratings?  That's what it sounds like.
> 
> While I think the study is a little bogus, I don't believe for a minute that it's the result of some nefarious plot to ruin Nickelodeon or Spongebob.



Steve, I am not putting it past them, TV is a competitive dog eat, dog world for advertisers money, market share, and program rating. I think the study is silly and catches people's attention, i.e. MSNBC (said without political "affliction") being in that competitive TV business too. I remember when news was news, by real journalist, i.e. Cronkite, Murrow, and not celebs hired for entertainment fluff, to increase ratings. Thank you Mr. William R. Hearst, for your yellow journalism. 

 Everyone, Scooby Do and Shaggy didn't create a generation of pot smoking dopey hippies. Sponge Bob doesn't rot anyone's brain, it's just BS. It is a good cartoon and thank God it isn't Barney! It was a slow news day.


----------



## JohnEdward (Sep 12, 2011)

joshbrown said:


> I'd like to know just how many of you speaking up here have young children. Stories and family dinners are far from becoming an unknown, Sesame Street never ever discussed Bert and Ernie getting married (thier position is that puppets do not have sexual orientation), and Cookie Monster still eats quite a bit of cookies.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/10/bert-ernie-gay-marriage_n_923147.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cookie_Monster (as Granfire said)


----------



## NSRTKD (Sep 12, 2011)

joshbrown said:


> I'd like to know just how many of you speaking up here have young children. Stories and family dinners are far from becoming an unknown, Sesame Street never ever discussed Bert and Ernie getting married (thier position is that puppets do not have sexual orientation), and Cookie Monster still eats quite a bit of cookies.



I have three young children, and I say storytime and family dinners becoming unknown in SOME families (note: not ALL families) because I have witnessed, in several families that I know personally, that busy life and the chronic struggle to earn enough money to get by can put those things on the sidelines first. I know a few kids who don't have family story time for months at a time, or family dinners where the parents actually get to sit down.

I am a stay at home mom with a small business on the side to help my hard-working husband support us. I prioritize the learning opportunities in every adventure, and only put my kids in front of the TV when I am relaxing as well.


----------



## Steve (Sep 13, 2011)

Okay.  I'll lay all my cards on the table here.  

I don't believe that Sesame Street has any kind of a comprehensive strategy to take out Nickelodeon.  I don't believe that Ernie, Bert or Velma are gay.  I don't believe that it matters whether Cookie Monster eats vegetables from time to time.  

My older kids play lots of video games.  They watch a lot of TV.  We love TV and movies in my house, including cartoons, and there are nights when we all chill out after the baby is in bed playing three different games in three different rooms.  They also spend a lot of time watching youtube videos.  

My 3 year old probably watches too much TV, too.  I don't try to make everything she does a "learning opportunity."  Just the opposite.  I often let her just do her thing.   She knows episodes of the Fresh Beat Band by heart.  

I'm not a perfect parent, and wouldn't even begin to know how to do that.  I think people who lament overly much about the loss of family dinners are missing the forest for the trees.

I believe very much that there are a million good recipes for parenting.  While I agree completely that being active and engaged in your kids' lives is critical, there are a million good ways to do it.  Family dinner is only one of them.

In spite of my incompetence, my kids are awesome.  They get good grades, are advanced in their studies, are respectful and nice, and get along well with their peers and adults.  It's a miracle, I guess.


----------



## granfire (Sep 13, 2011)

stevebjj said:


> Okay.  I'll lay all my cards on the table here.
> 
> I don't believe that Sesame Street has any kind of a comprehensive strategy to take out Nickelodeon.  I don't believe that Ernie, Bert or Velma are gay.  I don't believe that it matters whether Cookie Monster eats vegetables from time to time.
> 
> ...



well, you can't have organic macro biodynamic food on the table all the time, and one can't live by Shakespeare exclusively.

Although I do believe there is a correlation between the fast food fair we are offered (or forced to consume) on a constant basis these days  and the lack of so many common qualities we are used from back when. Most often on a personal level, things are ok. But on the larger scale the situation is pretty dire. 
It is not one thing, it's a combination of many. The clock can't be turned back to when there was actually dead air time with test pictures! Or limited children's programming. 

And as usual, caring, involved parents do not have a problem with the sponge.


----------



## Blade96 (Sep 15, 2011)

stevebjj said:


> Also, the age group is 4 years old?  They're comparing that to Cailou?  Really?  It's like comparing the Simpsons to the Bubble Guppies.  Two completely different target audiences.  My oldest didn't enjoy Spongebob until they were around 9 or so.  My littlest is 3 and most of that show is over her head.



They did use 4 years olds when the show isn't even for them. Wtf?


----------



## Blade96 (Sep 15, 2011)

Carol said:


> Kids?  Go outside??  That's dangerous, ya know.
> 
> When  you were a kid, did you "disappear" (as my mom would call it) alone or  with the neighborhood kids for hours at a time?  Playing, exploring,  running around, going out with the bikes?  I did...often to my parents'  chagrin.     I think parents are less likely to allow this today due to  awareness of the dangers kids can face.
> 
> ...



I grew up that way too. As much as my parents were punitive we still had some good times. and I was always off with the neighborhood kids. And still always watched my fave tv shows every day. 



MA-Caver said:


> Yeah it's almost akin to Pavlov's bell test. Watch enough of something and the mind is conditioned to the rapid changes of stimulation offered not only by the program itself but by the commercials which can be very loud, in your face and rapid fire imagery and oft times about 5-7 of them before returning to the show... then show the same commercials again and again. So is it any wonder that kids don't have the patience to sit through a single class on a singular subject on a regularly paced school day?



If they're gonna crap onteh Sponge than they might as well turn off movies too. Because a lot of movies these days are the action ones, they are good, but where the stimulation changes quickly. compared to the movies decades ago, where they were good, but slower. Like the movie Its a Wonderful Life. Might as well not let them watch movies either these days. They ruining my cousin's brain!


----------

