The American Academy of Pediatrics got it all wrong on ADHD with its outrageous new screening guidelines – but the organization did manage to hit one nail right on the head.

And that’s with the new advice on television and little kids: Keep it off.

The group now says the only safe amount of television for a kid under the age of 2 is no television at all — and that includes “educational” programs and any DVDs that claim they can turn your child into the next Einstein, Mozart or da Vinci.

See? We can agree on something — although TV is a pretty easy target. After all, there are no studies that find television is good for children, especially young children.

Instead, multiple studies have found that little kids who watch TV — any TV, even the supposedly age-appropriate shows and videos — have a higher risk of developmental problems.

Other problems may not crop up right away — but you can bet the remote control they’re there: Children raised in front of a glowing screen have a higher risk of obesity, problems with social skills and even trouble doing their schoolwork… not to mention no time for homework.

After all, who has time for homework when SpongeBob is on?

And SpongeBob, by the way, is the last TV “friend” you want your kids spending time with — and not just the under-2 set. A recent study found that 4-year-old children who watch this show have immediate problems with attention spans, focus and memory.

It doesn’t get any better after that — a study I told you about last spring found that kids as young as 6 who watch the most TV already show the earliest warning signs of heart disease.

These problems follow kids right through childhood — and you don’t need a crystal ball to see where it’ll lead them in adulthood. One study this summer found that every two hours of daily TV viewing boosts the odds of type 2 diabetes by 20 percent, heart disease by 15 percent and death from any cause by 13 percent in adults.

Good advice tends to be good advice, no matter how old — or how young — you are. So whether you have little ones at home or not, do yourself a favor and keep the TV off as much as possible.

Parents, watch your tots: There’s a new creep in the neighborhood, and it’s not the local perv.

It’s the family doctor.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is out with new marching orders, urging its 60,000 members to “screen” kids for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder starting at the age of four.

Kids who have the condition are supposed to be treated: First with therapy — which is a crazy enough thought for a 4-year-old — then with drugs like Ritalin if they still have even “moderate” signs of those attention deficits or hyperactivity… which goes way beyond crazy.

The word “outrageous” comes to mind. “Criminal,” too — especially since the powerful stimulant drugs used to treat ADHD aren’t even approved for 4-year-olds.

Makes you wonder if these pediatric experts have ever seen a four-year-old — because they ALL have attention deficits. They’re ALL hyper. It comes with the territory with kids that young, and part of a parent’s job is teaching them how to behave.

The new recommendations don’t just extend to the younger kids — they’re also pushing docs to screen older kids, right up to the age of 18.

In other words, they’re growing the market for ADHD meds at both ends of the age spectrum — and that’s what this is really all about: getting more customers for some of the world’s most dangerous drugs.

Kids on these meds have been known to engage in bizarre behavior and even commit acts of extreme violence. One recent study found that patients on stimulant drugs including common ADHD meds were nearly 10 times more likely to commit acts of violence.

Imagine giving these meds to a four-year-old!

These drugs have also been linked to hallucinations and addiction. Put all those side effects together, and it’s not hard to see why the kids who take them are also more likely to kill themselves.

There are far better ways to treat the signs and symptoms that make up ADHD in kids of all ages — and they start with better discipline and better diet.

In many cases, kids have seen miraculous returns to normalcy by simply avoiding processed foods — especially the food colorings that an FDA panel now admits may cause or worsen ADHD in some kids.

Bottom line: Kids who eat better, behave better.

Just remember that even the best kids act up at least some of the time… it’s normal. Handle them the same way your parents handled you — and I’ll bet it wasn’t with meds.

I’m not done with children’s health yet — keep reading for more.

I’m always a little grossed out when I see someone walk out of the bathroom with a cellphone in hand — either checking messages or already mid-conversation.

Don’t ask when — or where — that conversation started… you probably don’t want to know.

The thought alone is enough to make you sick, but the latest research shows how it could make you literally ill: Cellphones are crawling with germs, including the nasty bacteria that live in poop.

I don’t know about you, but that’s enough to make me think twice about borrowing someone else’s cellphone.

British researchers collected 390 samples from cellphones and hands in 12 U.K. cities and found bacteria on 92 percent of phones and 82 percent of hands.

Now, you know there are different types of bacteria out there. Some of them are bound to be crawling on you at any given time, and most of them are pretty harmless.

But 16 percent of hands and cellphones had the E. coli bacteria found in feces — even though 95 percent claimed to have washed their hands.

Yeah, right.

The researchers say they didn’t ask if people used their phones on the toilet — but point out that since people use their phones pretty much everywhere else, it’s not out of the question that people are conducting business while doing their business.

And that means you could transfer germs to the phone while on the toilet, wash your hands and then get germy all over again when you pick up the phone — because phones don’t get washed.

Not if you want to be able to use the phone, anyway.

You’re not supposed to use liquids of any kind on the newest phones, and the alcohol that can kill bugs is a definite no-no on those shiny smartphone screens.

That means the best defense is prevention: Don’t touch your phone when you’re in the bathroom. Write on the walls instead.

Then, wash you hands before you even think of checking to see who texted you you while you were doing your business.

Finally, don’t borrow anyone else’s cellphone. And, just to be safe, don’t let anyone borrow yours.

Sometimes, it might seem like your doctor is relying on years of education and experience.

Other times, you might be convinced he’s making it up as he goes.

In reality, most doctors follow the guidelines issued by the major medical associations — and that means some of the biggest decisions he makes about you and your health are based on badly biased information.

Treatment guidelines are routinely written by “experts” with a direct financial stake in the outcome — and now, a new study finds a massive chain of conflicts in the guidelines written for diabetes treatments and cholesterol control.

Since these just so happen to be two of the most medicated (not to mention over-medicated) conditions in the country, is anyone really surprised?

There have been 288 “experts” on the 14 cholesterol and diabetes panels that have met in the United States and Canada over the past decade, and researchers say 52 percent of them had conflicts of interest such as financial ties to the drug industry.

Even worse, they found those conflicts among 11 percent of the panelists who claimed they were free and clear.

Whoops. Busted!

And of course, you can’t really stack a deck without putting some of your best cards on top — so half of all chairs of the guideline-writing committees had conflicts.

The panels were convened by organizations including private ones like the American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association as well as government groups such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

But when you break it down, only 16 percent of the members of government-sponsored panels had conflicts, versus 69 percent of those convened by nongovernmental groups.

What’s more, five of the groups in the study didn’t even require conflict disclosures — and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force won’t reveal its own without a Freedom of Information Act request.

That’s one of those things that make it look like you’re hiding something… even if you’re not.

This isn’t limited to cholesterol and diabetes panels — not by a longshot.

Earlier this year, researchers examined 17 critical guidelines from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology that were issued between 2003 and 2008, and found that 56 percent of the 498 people who helped write them had conflicts of interest… including 81 percent of those who led the groups.

Put it all together, and it’s pretty clear why you can’t leave your doctor’s office without yet another prescription: The deck was stacked against you long before you even walked through the door.