Story Published:
Apr 29, 2009 at 6:40 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Apr 29, 2009 at 6:40 PM CDT
Televisions are supposed to entertain and inform, not kill. But dozens of children die every year when a TV comes crashing down on them. And the number of deaths is on the rise.
Consumer Reports says the weight of a TV makes it a deadly danger for kids, especially when it's set on top of a dresser or other furniture that's not designed to hold a TV. Children use the drawers of a dresser as a climbing platform to climb up like a ladder and try to reach the television. That can cause an unstable condition. The television could tip over and crush them.
Consumer Reports checked to see how much force it takes to tip over various-sized televisions sitting on a dresser. It turns out that the bigger TVs tested were not the easiest to tip over.
Consumer Reports cautions that you should never put televisions on a dresser or other type of furniture that's not designed to handle it. But even television stands can be unstable, and several TV stands have been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Consumer Reports advises putting televisions on very heavy, stable furniture that has no drawers. And ideally, you should attach the furniture to the wall. No matter what size TV you have, make sure you push the television back away from the edge of the table so that it's close against the wall.
