An American Academy of Pediatrics study suggested the rapid scene changes in a popular children’s TV series, “SpongeBob Squarepants,” are harmful to the development of young children’s cognitive abilities.

Academy members Angeline S. Lillard and Jennifer Petersen conducted the study in which 60 four-year-olds were tested. The preschoolers were split into three groups of 20, each of which was given a different task for nine minutes. One group watched “SpongeBob,” another group watched a slower-paced PBS show and the final group simply colored pictures.

Following their nine minutes of activity, the children were then given a test that measured their memory as well as their ability to follow rules and temporarily resist satisfaction, like eating Goldfish crackers from a bowl.

“Children who watched the fast-paced television cartoon performed significantly worse on the executive function tasks than children in the other two groups,” the study stated. “Just nine minutes of viewing a fast-paced television cartoon had immediate negative effects on four-year-olds’ executive function.”

Nickelodeon, the network that airs the program, pointed out to CNN that “SpongeBob” is directed at children between the ages of six and eleven, but the test was implemented on four-year-olds, according to a Los Angeles Times article.

According to the article, if further tests prove that six- to eleven-year-olds are developmentally unharmed, the program should not be blamed. In this case, the parents who let their four-year-olds be exposed to the material should be held responsible.

“Parents need to be much more careful what programs their kids watch,” MU Department of Communications Chairman Michael Porter said. “While it may look appropriate, parents don’t realize that this really has a deeper impact on the child than just the content, it’s how the information is presented.”

Statistics showed “SpongeBob” changed scenes about every 11 seconds. “Caillou,” the other show tested, changes scenes about every 34 seconds.

But “SpongeBob” is not the only children’s show to blame. MU Communications Associate Professor Jennifer Aubrey said many children’s shows are no good for their young viewers.

“These shows are so demanding of their attention,” Aubrey said. “If you put children in front of ‘SpongeBob,’ they will become completely absorbed, but then they won’t be able to focus on schoolwork and other ho-hum activities because real life isn’t like ‘SpongeBob.’”