Television may have its benefits but it has also contributed to unhealthy lifestyle habits among Malaysians.

PETALING JAYA: It is time to switch off the television and drag yourself off the couch.That's because it is "No TV Week" from Wednesday to April 27.

The campaign started by the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) is to get parents and children to cut back the hours spent in front of the television.

But there's no need to go cold turkey. Children can still watch television, but parents are advised to restrict the viewing time to under two hours a day.

Parents should also think of alternative ways to pass the time. Suggested activities are visits to the zoo and community programmes. Or parents may just spend quality time with their children over a puzzle.

"No TV Week" is one of the activities planned under the National Consumer Campaign 2008-2012, which theme is "Change Begins With Me".

"The main purpose of the campaign is to spread the awareness that television, despite its benefits, has contributed to unhealthy lifestyle habits among Malaysians, especially children," said National Consumer Campaign 2008-2012 coordinator Datuk Paul Selvaraj at the launch of the campaign yesterday.

Also present was Fomca chief executive Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman. Five kindergartens from Selangor, Perak, Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan will participate in the campaign.

The children will be given a report card to share what they did during the week.

This is the second year Fomca is running the campaign, which has been staged worldwide since 1995.