Author Paul Nyhan of Birth to Thrive Online posted an interesting story this week on the effects of fast paced cartoons slowing children’s executive function.
“A new study found that when a group of four-year-old kids watched “SpongeBob SquarePants,” a famous fast-paced cartoon on Nickelodeon designed for older children, for only nine minutes, they did worse on problem solving, self regulation and other tests of executive function than a control group who played with crayons and markers. What’s perhaps even more interesting is that children who watched “Caillou,” a slower-paced show on PBS designed for preschoolers, performed as well as the control group, according to the study published by Pediatrics today.”
The research shows that we need to not only monitor how long children watch television, but what they’re watching. With the preschoolers delicate growing brain, it’s important to keep a watchful eye on just what stimulus and input the child is receiving. Read the entire article online here.