Over the past 10 years, flat screen TVs went from being an item only the rich could afford, to being a common item found in many people’s homes. With the rise in flat screen TV purchases have come an alarming rise in the number of children injured by falling TVs. Falling televisions resulted in more than 200,000 serious injuries to children over the past 20 years. Some of these accidents have been deadly. Often a falling TV is the result of a large flat screen being placed on a dresser or atop another piece of furniture that may be lower and easily accessible to smaller children. Most of the reported accidents included children under the age of 5.
Another situation is which a small child could be injured involves TVs set atop larger furniture that children can climb up. We all know it is impossible to watch a child’s every move 24/7. However, if you are aware your child likes to climb the furniture, be especially cautious of TVs a toddler may be able to pull down. The best option may be to mount your flat screen securely to the wall in a way that makes it entirely inaccessible to small kids.
Number of Child Injuries on the Rise
In 2011, serious injuries involving children and TV jumped up to over 12,000. Previous years were much lower. Consider in 1990 there were just 5,000 such injuries to kids. The number has more than doubled as more TVs and larger TVs are found in American’s homes. Parents need to be especially cautious of the possibility of child injures from not only TVs but other large or heavy objects on furniture which may fall. Often new parents, use to not having kids in the house, don’t realize the potential dangers in their home for children. Many doctors and other experts recommend “childproofing” your home prior to having your first child, or at least prior to your first child crawling and walking.
