just a little confused...

(image from here)

Was anyone else taught as a kid to not release your balloon into the air because it will end up in the ocean where a sea turtle will think it's a jellyfish and eat it and then choke and die?

Well, I was and as a result losing a balloon was not only devastating because I was not only balloon-less, but I was killing a sea turtle too.

Nowadays, after seeing balloon releases ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE. I'm curious about the sea turtles... Was I taught wrong? Do balloons not end up in the ocean? Does anyone know where balloons do end up? I'm sure there's a science behind figuring out how long they stay afloat. Or have we just gotten to the point where we don't care about trashing the planet?

And a disclaimer: I'm not trying to knock on people who do release balloons (I actually think they're pretty, which is why I'm sure people do it), I'm just curious if this is just another vague thing from my childhood that isn't shared with others.