TV sets falling onto young children are causing an increasing number of severe neck and head injuries. The team looked at 29 studies from seven countries analyzing TV-related head and neck injuries. The paper was published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.
"Parents have to be aware that TVs can seriously harm children. But these injuries are highly predictable and preventable," said Dr Michael Cusimano, neurosurgeon at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and lead author of the paper.
Children between one and three years old are most susceptible to these injuries and more likely to suffer severe injuries than older children. Because toddlers are usually shorter than most TV stands, their head is most often the first point of contact when a TV falls. The researchers found that 84 percent of reported injuries occurred at home, with three-fourths of these injuries not witnessed by adult caregivers.
The study also found that children between two and five years old have significant exposure to TVs - spending more than 32 hours per week in front of TVs - making them susceptible to these sorts of injuries.
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