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Home › Articles › Home Safety Issues › Toppling TVs

Toppling TVs

Taking Precautions to Keep Kids Safe

By Teri Brown

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When most people think of the dangers television might pose to their child, they generally think of content and too much TV time, not the set itself. But babies and toddlers climbing on sets or pulling the cord can lead to serious injuries. A recent University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center study indicated a lack of parental awareness as one of the major causes.

Mary Tyler, a mother of three from Newport News, Va., remembers her daughter almost pulling the set over when she was very small. "Gwynne was about 3 and she climbed onto the TV – a 17-inch model – and it started to tip forward onto her," says Tyler. "I don't remember it actually falling, so I must have been there to tell her to stop. We had a long discussion about climbing on the TV and how dangerous it was. I don't think she ever did it again, so it must have made a big impression."

How Common Is This Type of Injury?
According to a recent press release on the study, more than 98 percent of homes in America have at least one television, and one household out of every four purchases a new model each year. That turnover pattern, the University of Texas Southwestern researchers note, leads to unfamiliarity with issues such as size, required safe clearance and weight distribution.

The majority of the weight on your standard TV set is in the front, making it easier for a climbing baby or toddler to pull it over on top of themselves. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 2,300 children visit emergency rooms for injuries due to falling TVs annually.


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