Kids are getting hooked on ‘crack’ cartoon that has parents ‘scared’ — but they’ve found a surprising alternative

When Lauren Isler first heard about “CoComelon,” an addictively popular animated streaming series that reportedly hooks toddlers on its bright colors, loud music and characters sporting oversized heads and googly eyes, she didn’t think twice about letting her young son watch.

However, the Virginia influencer, who posts as @MamasandMesses on Instagram, quickly noticed how overstimulated her child became whenever he watched the show — a bona fide streaming sensation now boasting nearly 200 billion views on YouTube alone.

“He would sit there glued to the TV and he never wanted us to turn it off,” Isler, a former teacher, said of the taken-in tyke, now 4.

“Unlike other shows he’d watch for a little bit, when ‘CoComelon’ was on, he demonstrated some negative behaviors — transitions were hard and there were tantrums, especially when it was time to turn it off,” she recounted.

And ask concerned parent Shani Hillian which cartoon she won’t allow her 4-year-old daughter to watch, and she doesn’t mince her words.