SpongeBob in hot water after study
The problems were seen in a study of 60 children randomly assigned to either watch SpongeBob or the slower-paced cartoon Caillou, or assigned to draw pictures. Immediately after these nine-minute tests, the kids took mental function tests; those who had watched SpongeBob did measurably worse than the others.
Previous research has linked TV-watching with long-term attention problems in children, but this study suggests more immediate problems can occur after very little exposure.
