A study recently published in Pediatrics reveals a startling increase in the rate of U.S. children injured annually by televisions. The study found a 95% increase in the number of children under age 18 treated in emergency rooms for television-related injuries from 1990-2011 (380,885 total). Even more startling was the increase in the number of injuries (341% between 1995 and 2011) associated with a television falling from a dresser, bureau, chest of drawers, or armoire. The study found that of the number of children injured:
- 64.3% were under age three,
- 60.8% were boys,
- 36.7% suffered lacerations and 35.1% suffered soft tissue injuries,
- 52.5% were injured by a falling television and 38.1% were injured by striking a television, and
- 63.3% of injuries were to the head and neck region and 21.5% were to the lower extremities.
In a related Connecticut Post article, a federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) representative noted that the increase in flat screen TV popularity has led many families to move their old televisions to bedrooms and on top of unsteady pieces of furniture. The CPSC recommends anchoring such furniture to the wall or floor with brackets and anchoring televisions to sturdy surfaces.
