Children under the age of two should be banned from watching television, according to guidelines prepared for the Australian government.

The recommended viewing limits vary wildly from the actual amount of television and DVDs viewed by Australian children.

Australian statistics show that four-month-old infants watch an of average 44 minutes of television each day and that children under the age of four with pay television at home spend at least three hours a day in front of the screen.

The draft guidelines, which have been designed for childcare centres but also offer advice for parents, are intended to help curb the spread of obesity. Six to eight per cent of Australian schoolchildren are currently listed as obese and an additional one in five, while not obese, is overweight.

"Based on recent research, it is recommended that children younger than two years of age should not spend any time watching television or using other electronic media (DVDs, computer and other electronic games)," said a draft copy of the guidelines obtained by The Australian newspaper.

"Screen time ... may reduce the amount of time they have for active play, social contact with others and chances for language development.

"(It may) affect the development of a full range of eye movement (and) ... reduce the length of time they can stay focused."

The government has refused to comment on the Get Up and Grow report for healthy eating and exercise in early childhood, devised by Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital, saying only that the guidelines were still being finalised.

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October 14, 2009