Who lives in a Pineapple under the sea

Spongebob Squarepants!

Who’s is creating little children zombies 

Spongebob Squarepants!

Spongebob Squarepants is the world's most popular television show. Atwall, a writer for Guinness World Records,  justifies how the show is  "47 times more popular than the average TV show and was ranked higher than every other children’s show in the world". Each episode contains amusing plot twists, memorable side characters, and anarchy. Despite the fact that the series is a masterwork, some parents believe it delivers the incorrect message. Parents with 5-7 year old children appreciate their children's development through educational experiences; therefore, they aim to instill those essential values in their children. As a result, they say that Spongebob should be removed from streaming services. Spongebob is entirely for enjoyment, not education, and parents who view the show as educational and allow their children to watch it on a daily basis are harming their children.

Parents, let's get one thing clear, Spongebob Squarepants is not in the same league as Dora the Explorer, Doc McStuffins, or Sid the Science Kid. What distinguishes the series is that it is not a realistic situation television show. The show doesn't depict actual problems or expect the spectator to solve them along with the actors. It's a show where you don't know what's going on, but the humor keeps viewers interested.  Miller, an Editorial Director, describes how Spongebob being a "fast-paced program featuring unrealistic scenarios may over-stimulate the brain, making it harder to trigger executive function skills."

Spongebob Squarepants has many loyal viewers which begs the question of how many of those children have struggled mentally in their life as a result of Spongebob being their sole source of television. 

Rabin, a writer for the New York Times, describes an experiment conducted in September as "one [group of children] watched nine minutes of the cartoon, another viewed nine minutes of the educational program "Caillou," and the remaining group spent the time with drawing paper, markers, and crayons." 

Finally, the youngsters would be assessed on their memory and problem-solving abilities. The results revealed a significant disparity in test scores between the two groups. According to Miller, "four-year-olds who watched 9 minutes of SpongeBob performed worse on executive function tests than peers who watched 9 minutes of Caillou, a slower-paced show." According to the research, the youngsters are not withholding any life lessons or skills to improve in their studies. Indicating that the debate over whether Spongebob Squarepants is instructive must cease since you can't fault a program for not advertising something it isn't, which is educational for younger children. 

Nonetheless, some of you parents still believe that Spongebob can be instructive, but

Children are more likely to suffer psychological harm than other children due to relying on Spongebob for life teaching. Rabin argues that "fast-paced fantastical sequences of some programs might actually prime the early childhood brain to “not be able to pay attention to something that is not so fantastic. You may be priming the brain to be almost A.D.H.D.-like impulsive.” Children coming into life with just Spongebob are developing behaviors that are related to serious mental diseases. A 5-year-old should not have to worry about taking medication every day to stay focused in class because their parents choose to believe that a program would teach them social interaction skills, problem-solving abilities, and real-life scenarios. 

Parents, not only are you enabling your child to spend their time behind a screen, but also allowing the screen to absorb their brain. 

Spongebob was a part of many people's childhoods, mine personally, and I'll  always enjoy its humor and craziness but I wouldn't credit my academic performance and the challenges I had to face growing up from watching the show. The numbers of young viewers are climbing while the Pediatrics claim they are not developing. Parents look at what your child has become, a mindless zombie, with no cure other than pressing the power button on the television. Then, when it's too late and the kids can't operate on their own, you'll just hear the pirate chuckle and the flute play as the credits roll. 

Work Consulted 

Atwal, Sanj. “SpongeBob SquarePants is still the most popular children's TV show 🧽️.” Guinness World Records Kids, 17 March 2022, kids.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2022/3/spongebob-squarepants-is-still-the-most-popular-childrens-tv-show-695586. Accessed 20 May 2023.

Miller, Caroline. “Is SpongeBob Really Bad for Preschoolers?” Child Mind Institute, 27 January 2023, childmind.org/article/is-spongebob-really-bad-for-preschoolers/. Accessed 20 May 2023.

Rabin, Roni Caryn. “Is SpongeBob SquarePants Bad for Children? - The New York Times.” The New York Times Web Archive, 12 September 2011,