SpongeBob seen as threat to children in Kazakhstan

Officials at the education department of Kazakhstan crack down on a famous cartoon character. The head of the Committee for the Protection of Children's Rights of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, Zabira Orazalieva, stated that cartoon character SpongeBob sets a bad example to children of Kazakhstan, local media said.

"In the cartoon series "SpongeBob SquarePants", SpongeBob beats his neighbor, acts like a hooligan and feels happy about it. This disruptive behavior produces an impression on children. Children consider SpongeBob's behavior fun and they try to bring it to their everyday life afterwards," the official said.

Orazalieva stressed out that parents need to control the time that children spend watching TV. The cartoons, which let children realize that one can mock and humiliate other people and receive no punishment for that, must be restricted for viewing, the official said.