Tipping televisions kill record number of U.S. kids, gov't warns

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A record number of curious kids are getting hurt by falling televisions in their homes, a government report warns.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released a report on Thursday that estimates about 43,000 people are injured in a television or furniture tip-over related incident each year, more than 25,000, or 59 percent, of whom are children.

"Small children are no match for a falling dresser, wall unit or 50- to 100-pound television," the CPSC said.

The report also showed that 349 people were killed between 2000 and 2011 by a falling television, appliance or piece of furniture -- 84 percent of them were kids younger than 9 years old. Falling televisions were more deadly, accounting for 62 percent of these fatalities. Last year alone, a record 41 tip-over related fatalities occurred.

The worrisome trends the report spotlighted indicated that three children are injured by a tip-over every hour -- or 71 children per day -- and one child is killed every two weeks. Seventy percent of injuries involving children were caused by televisions, followed by 26 percent caused by furniture like dressers or tables.

Known causes of tip-overs included climbing (36 percent of cases involving children), hitting or kicking (14 percent) or playing nearby (7 percent). The report also suggests that some of these incidents are occurring as families swap out their heavier, older TVs for flat-screen models. The CPSC received reports that older, heavier television were moved to other areas of the house like the bedroom, where they were placed without a proper stand or anchoring device.

Government officials said these injury and fatality rates may climb even higher in the future.

"I urge parents to anchor their TVs, furniture and appliances and protect their children," CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in a press release. "It takes just a few minutes to do and it can save lives."

Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, tells CBSNews.com in an email that children younger than 3 years are especially likely to be curious and reach for or try to hold onto a television. Potential injuries include traumatic brain injuries, neck injuries and abdominal trauma such as to the liver or spleen.

The CPSC also reported incidents of fractures, bruises and cuts caused by the tip-overs.

"If a TV cannot be anchored or mounted on a wall properly, then it's safer to place the TV on a low sturdy base," Glatter recommends.

Other recommendations from the CPSC include keeping remote controls, toys and other items that might attract children off of television stands and furniture and making sure cords and cables are out of reach. Anti-tip brackets should also be installed on televisions and freestanding kitchen ranges, ovens and other appliances, the agency said.

The CPSC has more information on the report in an infographic.

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[Alex20016]

Wow, that is immense. How about all the injuries from carbon footprint disaster holiday decorations and from people using smart phones or texting while driving? How about factoring in the obesity disaster from plopping in front of the PC or TV so much? Our life expectancy would be 15 years higher and our medical costs 30 percent lower if we dealt with our lives more thoughtfully.

[Conway193]

The CPSC received reports that

"older, heavier television were moved"

to other areas of the house like the bedroom, where they were placed without a proper stand or anchoring device.

Correction: "older, heavier TELEVISIONS were moved"...

For Chrissakes, people.

[LVB_44]

Please don't do that.

[lisafein]

My daughter tipped a dresser over and the TV fell with it. She was 2 and grabbed the drawer in just the right way when I was standing there putting away clothes. The TV was not on, I was standing right there and that heavy TV landed inches away from her. I was lucky. I made my husband put anchors on our dressers. That was 1990 - long before these warnings came out. Do not judge these people that have lost a child or had a child injured. You do not know their story or the circumstances surrounding the event. Older TVs were not as top heavy as the new ones - and just because a TV has been tipped does not mean it was being watched at the time, nor does it mean that the child did not have a parent in the room.

[swheatcbs]

All children should be wards of the State until they are 21.

[Chasemistriver]

I think it is rather telling, world of TV is all new flat screens, new cars and glitch glamor. The real world drives an average 9 year old car and is still milking the last out of their tube type televisions. As for supervision yes we really fail at that both parents working and still struggling to each payday, the glare of the screen replaces the acts of childhood that brings common sense enough to tether the television down.

[Adam_Smith_123]

You're right about cars, but over 2/3 of American families have a flat screen TV.

And 62% of Americans making less than $20,000 a year have between 2 and 4 TVs in the home (obviously not necessarily flat screen, but that's a lot of TVs)

It's not the cost of a TV that's breaking the back of the working poor, it's the unavoidable cost of necessities week in and week out.

[APatriot1]

Right. The picture may be misleading. Newer TVs are not nearly as heavy and dangerous as the old tube models, and there are still a lot of them out there, but thankfully not much longer. The article should make a distinction. As tragic as it is that this still happens, this may be a non-story.

[kelly2812]

i can give you the information of my friend whos 3 month old died from a falling tv if you guys would like to contact her and tell her what a horrible mother she is and how it was her fault she lost an almost newborn. any takers? no? then watch what you say before you get so judgemental and heartless. things happen and sometimes its devastating. dont lump everyone together because its not always cut and dry.

[Adam_Smith_123]

A three month old didn't come near the TV by themselves.

Perhaps it was a freak accident (earthquake?), but you're not providing much in the way of details.

[john92021]

kids watch too much TV, give them a BB gun and send them outside.

[landsoftly]

You have the right idea. When our ears weren't glued to the radio listening the Sky King or The Lone Ranger, we were outside playing hide and seek or baseball in the middle of the street.

[hdc77494]

If you have a kids playroom upstairs and you're cooking dinner, it's kinda hard to "supervise"

[barbaram99]

I have a flat panel TV on a printer stand and it has never tipped over. I am childless..My roommate hung her TV on the wall.
Parents are the problem..There were TV in the home years ago when I was growing up. We were not allowed to touch certain things.

[hdc77494]

Years ago, we didn't have the recent generation of 32-35" TVs that weighed a hundred pounds. It's not flat screens falling off the walls, it's the older TVs that have been moved to a bedroom and put on a dresser or in a kids room. wE HAD A 35" Sony it took three people to carry, those are the TVs killing kids.

[APatriot1]

Really old TVs were in dresser-size cabinents that wouldn't fall over. In fact, it took too healthy people to even move them.