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kids and tv
Flat screen televisions are in millions of homes and pose a safety risk to small children. According to a new study, between 1990 and 2011 more than 17,000 children under age 18 were treated each year for various TV-related injuries in ERs across the United States – that’s one child every half hour. Between 2000 and 2011, 215 children died from injuries caused by a falling TV.
Forty-six percent of television tip-overs involved a TV falling off a dresser or armoire, while 31 percent were due to a TV falling from an entertainment center or TV stand, according to the study. The lighter, top-heavy design of flat-screens could actually make them easier for a child to pull over, the study found. Children under the age of 5 are most at risk because they aren't able to get out of the way of a falling television as quickly as older children.
To decrease the risk of injury to children parents should secure all flat screen televisions with straps or anchors. They are also advised to not place toys or remote controls on top of televisions so that children are not tempted to climbed to get them.
Source: http://www.today.com/health/falling-tvs-send-child-er-every-30-minutes-6C10679996
