Patna, June 17: These days, children are no more inspired by superheroes like Phantom, Mandrake who fought to save the world and the values it professes. Shin-Chan, the naughty kid, Hagemaru, the miser son, and Doraemon, the kind robot, have become children’s new best friends. The hit cartoon series on television, however, are giving sleepless nights to parents and children.

Children in Patna are no exception to this trend, as they remain glued to their favourite cartoon characters — Shin-Chan, Hagemaru, Doraemon and not to forget, the favourite across all generations, Tom and Jerry.

“I love watching cartoons on TV. However, I fail to understand why my mother gets angry as soon as I put on the cartoon channels,” said Taban Usmani, a student of BD Public School.

Taban’s favourite show is Power Rangers, where the characters fight evil, bent on destroying the world.

His mother, Quaisar, has her reasons for disapproval. “My son puts on the cartoon channel as soon as he returns from school. He doesn’t even wait to change his school uniform. I am fed up with his behaviour. He does not even finish his meal properly.”

Taban is not alone in his obsession for the cartoon shows on TV. Many more children, as old as him, can’t seem to do without them.

For eight-year-old Utsav Singh, Shin-Chan is his hero. “I cannot do without Shin-Chan,” he said. His favourite character is three years younger and does not respect his elders. Shin-Chan’s impact on Utsav is clear. “He has become very naughty and does not listen to us,” said his mother Usha Singh.

The most embarrassing moment for Usha is when Utsav decides to start behaving like his favourite cartoon character in front of guests. “I feel so helpless at those moments,” she said.

Usha added: “Even at night, Utsav keeps on talking about the cartoon characters. This has become a matter of concern for us.”

Meanwhile, there are also parents who are paying for their children’s craze for cartoon characters.

“My daughter has been advised to wear glasses. The doctor said watching television too much could be the reason,” said a Frazer Road businessman. Worried over this development, the worried father is thinking about getting rid of the cable connection at home so that his daughter cannot watch cartoons. “I am worried and at present, snapping the cable connection seems to be the only viable option for me,” he said.

If parents are worried, teachers too are a concerned about the children’s studies. They are left clueless in the face of their students’ craze for Shin-Chan and Doraemon.

“It is a matter of concern that shows meant for the benefit of young children are being misused. This trend needs to be addressed on a priority basis, if we want to have healthy children,” said Kalpana Agrawal, a teacher of St Joseph’s Convent High School. “Excessive time before TV sets not only make children physically and mentally dull but they also avoid social interactions,” added Kalpana.

City-based cardiologist Dr Achal Sinha said: “Excessive TV viewing has negative fallouts. It not only affects mind of children but also their eye sight, as most of them watch TV for long durations.”