Critics have slammed a new reality TV show that allows children to form their own adult-free community.

Kid Nation, which will be shown on the CBS network, has been described as "Survivor meets Lord of the Flies" and has been panned for exploiting the children involved.

The show centres around a group of children aged 8 to 15 in the New Mexico desert, with filming taking place 14 hours a day, seven days a week.

Critics have complained about shots of the children crying and fighting. Officials from the New Mexico Attorney General's Office are also worried that truancy laws were broken.

TV producers have however claimed that the show is more like a "summer camp" than the children working.

But New Mexico authorities told the Los Angeles Times that inspectors were reportedly illegally refused on set to carry out health and safety checks.