The Christian Science Monitor released an article on September 12, 2011 discussing a study among 4 year old children. The study allowed children to watch nine minutes of a SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon and concluded the following:

"Kids who watched just nine minutes of the fast-paced children's cartoon "SpongeBob SquarePants" did worse afterward at tasks requiring focus and self-control than did kids who watched a slow-paced cartoon and kids who entertained themselves by coloring."

Here's a brief description of the survey and the conclusion.



