Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026
Use of a Video Scoring Anchor for Rapid Serial Assessment of Social Communication in Toddlers
Published on: March 14, 2018
Outcomes from television sets toppling onto toddlers
1New England Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine, 750 Washington St, Campus Box 75K/R, Boston, MA 02111, USA. cdiscala_tra@opal.tufts.edu
Insights
Television sets falling on children cause serious injuries, including fatalities, with a significant increase in incidents. Pediatricians recommend modifying television designs to prevent these common household accidents.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Traumatology
- Consumer Product Safety
Background:
- Falling television sets pose a significant risk of injury to young children.
- Previous research has highlighted the dangers, but ongoing data is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the outcomes of trauma resulting from television sets falling on children.
- To identify trends and risk factors associated with these injuries.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective review of medical charts from the National Pediatric Trauma Registry (NPTR) was conducted.
- Data included demographics, injury details, severity (Injury Severity Score), and hospitalization outcomes for 183 children (aged ≤7 years).
Main Results:
- Over 76% of injured children were aged 1-4 years, with 57.4% being boys. Most injuries (95.1%) occurred at home, with head injuries being most common (68.3%).
- 28.4% had moderate to critical injuries, 31.1% required intensive care, and 20.2% needed surgery. The in-hospital death rate was 2.7%, and 26.2% experienced functional limitations.
- The incidence of television-related injuries more than doubled during the study period (1988-1999).
Conclusions:
- Television-related injuries in children are severe, requiring hospitalization and carrying a mortality risk comparable to other unintentional trauma.
- The increasing trend highlights an urgent need for preventative measures.
- Modifying television designs is recommended to mitigate the incidence and severity of these injuries.
Objective:
To assess outcomes of trauma caused by television sets falling onto children.
Methods:
Retrospective review of medical charts of 183 children aged 7 years and younger hospitalized for injuries caused by falling television sets. Descriptive statistics were applied.
Data Sources:
Phase 2 (1988-1995) and phase 3 (1995-1999) of the National Pediatric Trauma Registry.
Outcome Measures:
Demographics, injured body region, injury severity measured by the Injury Severity Score, length of hospital stay, admission to the intensive care unit, surgical intervention, in-hospital death rate, disability resulting from the injury, and disposition at discharge from the hospital.
Results:
The sample population represented 0.5% of all National Pediatric Trauma Registry admissions in this age group. More than half (57.4%) of the children were boys, and more than three quarters (76.0%) were 1 to 4 years of age. In most cases (95.1%), the injury occurred at home. Most children (68.3%) sustained head injury, and 43.7% sustained injuries to multiple body regions. More than a quarter (28.4%) of the children had injuries of moderate to critical severity (Injury Severity Score, 10-75), about a third (31.1%) required admission to the intensive care unit, and 20.2% needed 1 or more surgical interventions. The average length of hospitalization was 3.3 days. Five children (2.7%) died, and 48 (26.2%) developed functional limitations, which required discharge to a rehabilitation facility in 5 cases. Most (94.0%) of the children returned to their home. The proportion of television set-related injuries increased more than 100% during the study period.
Conclusions:
The injuries reported are not trivial. Not only did they require hospitalization, but they also resulted in an in-hospital death rate comparable to the 2.5% rate observed in children of the same age group injured by unintentional blunt trauma, inclusive of motor vehicle traffic-related injuries. Since virtually all American children are at risk for such injury, we suggest that television set designs be modified to reduce the incidence and severity of the problem.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:01Group Design
01:08The Availability Heuristic
02:04Bullying
01:07Teratogenicity
01:12Observational Learning
01:14Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
Exploration...