London, June 27 : Paediatricians have warned that television is creating a `perfect storm' for childhood obesity.

The mixture of long-hours sitting doing nothing in front of the box, exposed to advertising for unhealthy products, means today''s children both get too little exercise and end up consuming foods which make them put on weight.

The caution comes from the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP), in a policy statement about children, obesity and television.

It advises parents to limit their time their children spend watching non-educational programmes to two hours per day, and take the television screens and computers out of their sons'' and daughters'' bedrooms.

"We've created a perfect storm for childhood obesity - media, advertising, and inactivity," the Telegraph quoted the lead author, Dr Victor Strasburger, as saying.

"American society couldn't do a worse job at the moment of keeping children fit and healthy - too much TV, too many food ads, not enough exercise, and not enough sleep," added Strasburger.

The policy statement is published in edition of the AAP''s journal, Pediatrics. (ANI)