Television sets not anchored to wall possess a danger to small children

Flat screen televisions topple over easily, can crush small children

DETROIT – When televisions are not anchored to a wall they can topple onto curious kids who grab them or climb-up furniture to get to them.

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"New televisions tend to be flat screen, and they tend to have a higher center of gravity, and not really be anchored to anything," said Dr. Michael Anderson of Children's Hospital, Cleveland.

These injuries are becoming more common -- increasing by a third in the past decade, according to the watchdog group "Safe Kids Worldwide."

In fact, every 45-minutes in this country, a child is rushed to the hospital after a television falls on them.

Most of the children injured every year are under the age of 5.

"It's the force of that entire television falling on the child," said Anderson, who has treated several of these cases.

Young kids have larger heads relative to their small bodies and they are more susceptible to head injuries.

"They also have a very pliable skeletal system, so they can suffer many more internal injuries than an adult would," Anderson said.

Experts and TV manufacturer's recommend that flat screens be mounted to a wall securely.

Buying an inexpensive straps to attach sets to the wall is a simple way to keep curious children out of harm's way.

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