Scientists claim animations can over-tax young brains.

Watching fast-paced cartoons harms toddlers’ ability to concentrate and solve logic-based puzzles, as well as undermining their short-term memory, according to research.

‘Our results are consistent with other research showing long-term negative associations between entertainment television and attention,’ explained Dr Lillard, whose study is published today in the journal Paediatrics.

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Oh here we go again, ragging on TV, but this time SpongeBob takes the brunt, which I find rather offensive. Anyone who watches SpongeBob will know that Mr.Squarepants is a man of moral standing; working hard, caring for his friends and really caring about the community he lives in. He never has a bad word to say about anyone and is always a cheery chap.

How can that be bad for our children?

It seems that we are really good a blaming TV, so I feel I want to come out in TV's favour a little.

"They say that ninety percent of TV is junk.  But, ninety percent of everything is junk”.  Gene Roddenberry

I think TV is good for our children and is teaching them lots... gone are the days where children are passive consumers of media; they are active consumers.

So here is how TV is changing and making our children think harder.

1. TV is more complicated. There was outcries recently when Doctor Who got too complicated, with adults saying it was too difficult to understand, but for me what this showed was that Doctor Who totally understood the current climate. It wasn’t too complicated for the kids; it was too complicated for the adults.  

Most TV shows now have multiple threads or plot lines running through them, some up to 13 compared with the plotlines of 3 at the most when we were children. A look at the pictures of the cast of Dallas and 24 will show you things are different.  These plotlines are densely interwoven and you have to do a lot of thinking and filling in to make sense of where the show is going. You really have to think hard.

2. TV is not mindless - in fact it really does make you think. Gone are the flashing arrows that we use to get as kids, the sort of pantomime, “Behind you” lines. Most programmes now have little narrative signposts, little clues to where the plot is going. TV isn't as obvious as it was.

3. TV makes you more socially intelligent - Often people say TV and especially reality TV is just about humiliating people - is it? Let’s look at The Apprentice for example; it takes the same form as a video game. Generally, objectives are set and participants have to reach the goal, while overcoming obstacles.  To keep up and know what is going on you have to be or get very socially intelligent; a look here, a tut there, a small out-of-place comment, all these things give us clues as to what is happening.

It seems to me that TV gets a lot of stick and yes, there is a lot of rubbish TV, but there always has been. We need to compare like with like and look at all the facts to really get a true indication of what is happening.

Oh and while I am at it, leave the Sponge alone!