SpongeBob SquarePants: Examining the Educational Value and Its Impact on Young Viewers
Is it accurate to say that watching a particular show - such as the often-blamed hyperactive cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants - could negatively affect preschoolers? This question worries many parents and became the subject of a 2011 study in Pediatrics. While SpongeBob SquarePants has been a pop culture fixture since its debut in 1999, its educational value, or lack thereof, has been a topic of debate. The series, created by the late Stephen Hillenburg, features a nasally yellow sea sponge filled with bubbly optimism, even in absurd situations. This article explores the arguments surrounding the show's potential impact on young viewers, considering both the criticisms and the potential life lessons it offers.
The Controversy: Pace and Executive Function
The lead author of the Pediatrics study suggested that fast-paced programs featuring unrealistic scenarios may overstimulate the brain, making it harder to trigger executive function skills. Executive function encompasses the mental ability to focus, avoid distraction, and control oneself. Dimitri Christakis of the Seattle Children's Research Institute at the University of Washington, who reviewed the study, stated, "These children's brains were actually tired from all of the stimulation." The study claimed that 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, more realistic PBS cartoon about a preschool-aged boy, and a peer group that spent 9 minutes drawing.
The researchers recruited 60 4-year-olds and assigned them to one of three conditions. In the first, the children simply colored for nine minutes. In another, some children watched SpongeBob SquarePants, while others watched the PBS show Caillou. The shows were chosen for their very different pacing. SpongeBob underwent a complete scene change every 11 seconds, with lots of frenetic movement in between, the researchers reported. The PBS show was slower, with a scene change every 34 seconds or so.
After the kids finished watching television or coloring, the researchers had them complete a variety of tasks to measure executive control. Kids did a directions-following test involving moving disks from one peg to another, played a "Simon Says"-like game in which they were asked to touch their head, toes, or other parts, and practiced repeating sequences of numbers backwards.
The researchers also gave the kids the famed "marshmallow test," a common challenge for children's self-control. The researchers put out either marshmallows or Goldfish crackers (depending on which the child preferred) and left the room. Before they left, they told the kids that they could ring a bell and eat two marshmallows or crackers immediately. But if they waited instead for the experimenters got back, they could have 10 marshmallows or crackers.
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The researchers tallied and placed the kids' scores on a standardized scale to compare how well each group did. They found that SpongeBob watchers scored consistently more poorly across the board. For example, the average standardized score for a child who watched the PBS program on the marshmallow test was around 0.2. For a child who'd watched the frenetic cartoon, it was close to minus 0.5.
Kids who watched the slow-paced cartoon performed on the same level as kids who spent their time coloring, indicating that it wasn't the act of TV watching that was causing the deficit, but the type of TV being watched.
Alternative Perspectives: Real-Life Scenarios and Context
Susan Schwartz, a learning and educational specialist, doesn’t think pace is the issue when it comes to what’s developmentally appropriate for preschoolers. “The important thing,” she said, “is seeing real-life scenarios being played out, whether it’s on the playground or on TV or in the kitchen corner at school or with blocks as symbols of real life.” Preschool age children are modeling what they see, so characters that interact the way real people do, whether they’re cartoons or live-action, can contribute to their development, she adds.
However, some argue that the emphasis should be on real-life experiences. Schwartz notes that practically any other form of play-playing outside, drawing or painting, playing dress-up, building things, playing with pots and pans while mom or dad make dinner-is more likely to stimulate and socialize young children, because they are acting and thinking, touching and feeling and manipulating things, experimenting, drawing conclusions, observing cause and effect. And you can add to the list talking to parents in the car on the way to school.
Life Lessons from Bikini Bottom
Despite the criticisms, many argue that SpongeBob SquarePants offers valuable life lessons. The show's enduring popularity, especially among millennials, suggests that it resonates with viewers on a deeper level.
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- You can do whatever you set your mind to: Starting from the day he barges into the successful restaurant known as the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob is ready to take on any task - even if it involves flipping patties behind the fry cooker. He chants over and over and over again, “I’m ready! I’m ready! I’m ready!” And when orders start piling up and the job feels overwhelming, SpongeBob perseveres and saves the day. His not-so-secret secret is not letting other people’s doubts discourage him from what he wants to do. SpongeBob believes in himself, and it shows every time we see him wake up loud and proud each morning.
- Be kind to everyone: SpongeBob always has people’s best interests in mind. Perhaps, too much at times. SpongeBob can admittedly be overly eager, including when he tries to help an elderly woman quickly cross the street. But he has the best intentions. Some days, SpongeBob wakes up and sets a goal to complete a series of random acts of kindness just to be someone else’s hero. On other days, our yellow friend wants to be the change he wanted to see in the world and inspire his friends to do the same. But no matter how he’s feeling on a given day, SpongeBob doesn’t discriminate against who should be treated with kindness and respect.
- Everyone is equal: SpongeBob considers just about everyone in Bikini Bottom his friend. But there was never a doubt that Patrick, the pink starfish, has and will always be SpongeBob’s best friend. The two go on fun adventures, laughing at themselves as they make memories along the way. And that’s what friends are for: having fun. SpongeBob is so adamant about this that he devotes an entire song to help people remember. “‘F’ is for friends who do stuff together. ‘U’ is for you and me. ‘N’ is for anywhere and anytime at all down here in the deep blue sea.”
- Own your mistakes, no matter the consequences: People aren’t perfect, and that includes SpongeBob. He’s accidentally splatted a drop of paint on Mr. Krabs’ most prized possession. He’s gotten orders at the Krusty Krab wrong. Mistakes happen. But every time SpongeBob realizes that he has made a mistake, he fesses up and apologizes. Sure, people are upset in the beginning, but you know what happens in the end? People forgive him because he tells the truth. And in some cases, our truth is the only value we have left that can give us a second chance at redemption.
- Our identities shouldn’t be made into jokes: As much as there is to learn from SpongeBob about what to do, there is an equal amount to learn about what not to do. When his stand-up comedy gig begins tanking, SpongeBob stoops to a new low as he makes squirrel jokes to get the audience to laugh. But his friend Sandy, a squirrel in the crowd, doesn’t find these jokes funny but rather hurtful, especially hearing them from a friend she is there to support. SpongeBob learns to value his friends’ feelings and not use their pain to further his success.
- Find positivity in everything you do: Not everyone SpongeBob meets is as jolly as he is. His neighbor and co-worker, Squidward, is a persistent grouch. Plankton, the business rival of Mr. Krabs, is always plotting ways to take down the Krusty Krab. But even faced with sour characters, SpongeBob stays true to himself and lets his spirit shine. And eventually, SpongeBob’s infectious positivity catches on.
- Not being cool can actually be very cool: SpongeBob is not like everyone else. He has a pet snail named Gary whom he talks to all the time. His red tie, brown shorts and black shoes with tube socks give him a quirky look. He encourages people to use their imagination as if it’s some internal, cosmic experience. When he tries to be someone he isn’t - a muscular beach volleyball player or a popular socialite - his friends hardly recognize him.
SpongeBob as a Symbol of Values
Some believe that SpongeBob SquarePants teaches children fundamental lessons about basic human values in a non-preachy manner through the authentic actions of its characters. Some psychologists believe that human values are a dominating force in life, as values are thought to motivate human behavior and attitudes.
The list of universal value types tested by the theorist Schwartz includes power, achievement, hedonism, stimulation, self-direction, universalism, benevolence, tradition, conformity and security. It is these kinds of value types that are enthusiastically embraced by the characters in SpongeBob Square Pants, and this simple typology may be one of the reasons the show is still popular after ten years.
Each character symbolizes one value type and behaves according to that value in the extreme. Thus, Mr. Crabs, the owner of the Crabby Patty, cares only about money; his every act in the show is motivated by his pursuit of his financial interests. Meanwhile, Squidward, SpongeBob’s neighbor, loves social status and prestige; he wants to be famous and could care less about anything in the small hick town of Bikini Bottom. Patrick Star, SpongeBob’s lovable best friend, exemplifies hedonism. He loves to eat, sleep and in general satisfy the most basic bodily desires. Sandy Cheeks, a squirrel who lives in an upside down glass bowl under the ocean, pursues intellectual achievement. She is the smartest character in the town and she also enjoys excelling at karate. Each of these characters wrestle with the conflicts that naturally arise as they act according to their values, and while their basic value system usually wins out, the audience witnesses the choices they make in pursuit of these values and the disappointments that arise.
SpongeBob seems to represent a child, someone who lives for the moment, has no idea about the value of money or power and could care less about social status or physical pursuits. He enjoys hanging out with his friends, blowing bubbles and working hard at his job because he is excellent at grilling patties, not because he wants to earn a salary.
Limitations of the Research and Counterarguments
Several points challenge the negative claims about SpongeBob SquarePants:
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- Small Sample Size and Demographics: Dorward added a note of caution when taking this study seriously, however, due to the study’s small sample size. The children in the study were primarily from white, middle-class families. No tests were done to compare the effects on kids with different cultural factors, age, gender, TV watching habits or disabilities. Studies involving children from lower-income areas and more likely Hispanic or African American are in the works, Lillard said.
- Target Audience: Nickelodeon defended SpongeBob in the ABC News article, saying that the children in the study are two years younger than their target audience. The “targeted demo” of SpongeBob is actually 6-11 year olds.
- Short-Term Effects: "We are currently looking at how long effects last,” Lillard said. The researchers aren't yet sure how long the struggles with executive function persist or how children younger and older than in this study sample are affected, but Christakis said observational research suggests that long-term media exposure can have long-term impacts.
- Focus on Features, Not Specific Shows:"It would be wrong for people to overgeneralize this and say 'SpongeBob' is a bad show and 'Caillou' is a good show," Christakis said. "It's not about the specific shows. It's about the features of those shows."
The Parent's Role: Moderation and Engagement
Ultimately, the impact of SpongeBob SquarePants, or any television show, depends on how it is integrated into a child's life.
- Moderation is Key: Reutzel said more than 10 hours a week of TV watching, or about an hour and a half a day, is when grades start to drop. "Don’t let your kids pig out on junk food all week long," Reutzel said.
- Active Engagement: Parents can mitigate potential negative effects by watching with their children, discussing the content, and relating it to real-life situations. Parents agonizing over which kind of video is best for toddlers may be getting anxious about the wrong thing.
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