A new study suggests that watching SpongeBob SquarePants is bad for young children.
    
Researchers at the University of Virginia found that fast-paced cartoons like Sponge-Bob affect a child's short-term attention span.

It also affects their ability to solve problems and exercise self-control.

"It is possible that the fast pacing, where characters are constantly in motion from one thing to the next, and extreme fantasy, where the characters do things that make no sense in the real world, may disrupt the child's ability to concentrate immediately afterward," psychology professor Angeline Lillard, who led the research, told The Los Angeles Times.
    
The authors say slower-paced cartoons help teach children to focus. They also help children learn to process information at a more realistic pace.

The study, which tracked 60 four-year-olds, was published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.