Flat-screen TVs increasingly deadly for kids (287 hits)
Mom always said not to sit too close to the TV so your eyes would be "ruined," but it turns out she was worried about the wrong thing altogether. New flat-screen televisions, which balance precariously on narrow bases, are falling on kids in record numbers, with often deadly consequences. I was dismissive of the data at first -- seriously, who would allow a TV to fall over onto a child? -- but the numbers are more than a little alarming. Namely: Visits to emergency rooms based on falling or tipping furniture hit 17,000 in 2007, up 41 percent since 1990. Three-quarters of the victims are under six years old.
To be sure, TVs aren't the only things that fall on kids, but enormous, poorly-balanced television sets are new phenomenon and are undoubtedly contributing to the run-up in accidents. 50 inches of Elmo is awfully enticing to a toddler, and one can only imagine how common it is for a little kid to try to join his life-size furry friend "inside" the TV. I've seen my own children excitedly tap on the screen when their favorite characters are on, and only after extensive education (namely a lot of screaming "NO!") have we been able to mitigate the behavior.
Manufacturers have attempted to solve the issue, beginning in 2004 with the publication of voluntary standards for the design of large furniture pieces with an eye on preventing them from tipping over. The problem is that the only real way to stabilize a giant, freestanding TV -- which is primarily an enormous pane of glass -- is to add weight to the base or create enormous stabilizing legs. But neither of those options would fly well in the marketplace, where thin and light are prized traits, and televisions remain wobbly at best.
Naturally, aftermarket childproofing and securing systems designed to prevent tipping are available, and if you have small children in the house you're advised to check them out. Commercial kits are available, or you can simply bolt the TV directly to the wooden stand on which it is sitting. Another good option: Mount the TV on the wall, which eliminates the tipping problem altogether.
