Setting up a new TV: what CPSC tip-over data show, and how to anchor or mount it

Flat-screen TVs are lighter and better balanced than the old tube sets, but they can still fall. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) counts TV tip-overs alongside furniture and appliances, and its most recent annual report, published in February 2024, shows TVs involved in almost half of the tip-over deaths it recorded. Here is what the figures show, and the steps CPSC recommends when you set up a new set.

What the numbers show

CPSC estimates that U.S. emergency departments treated an average of 17,800 tip-over injuries a year from 2020 to 2022. About 2,600 of them, or 15%, involved only a TV falling. Injuries where a TV fell together with furniture are counted under furniture, which accounted for 14,500, or 82%.

Deaths are rarer and fall hardest on young children. From January 1, 2013, to July 31, 2023, CPSC received reports of 217 tip-over deaths. A TV was involved in 103 of them, or 47%: 49 where only the TV fell and 54 where a TV and furniture fell together. Of the 103 people killed in TV-related tip-overs, 90 were children, 10 were 60 or older and 3 were adults aged 18 to 59.

Older adults are affected too. People aged 60 and older suffered 24% of the estimated injuries while making up 23% of the population. In a 2020 release, a CPSC commissioner noted that many older Americans grab TV sets to steady their balance and are hurt when the set falls.

The trend is down, but not to zero

CPSC found a statistically significant decline from 2013 to 2022 in injuries involving only a TV, and says much of the drop in overall tip-over injuries came from TVs. It notes that the decrease came after the market shifted from heavier cathode ray tube (CRT) sets to wall-mounted flat screens. In July 2025, marking 10 years of its Anchor It! campaign, CPSC said the campaign contributed to a nearly 50% decline in tip-over injuries and deaths.

Where you put the TV matters

Chests, bureaus and dressers were involved in 79 of the 217 deaths, and in 27 of those a TV fell as well. In 2020 CPSC advised against putting any TV, new or old, on bedroom furniture or a dresser, and particularly on children's or nursery furniture. Since September 2023 a mandatory federal standard, required by the STURDY Act, has set stability requirements for clothing storage units such as dressers and armoires.

Anchor it, or mount it

• Anchor the TV, and furniture such as bookcases and dressers, securely to the wall with straps or brackets.
• If anchoring is not possible, put the TV on a sturdy, low base, push it back as far as possible and as close to the wall as you can, and keep cables and cords out of reach.
• Keep toys, remotes and other tempting items off the top of the TV and furniture, so children are not tempted to climb. Store heavier items on lower shelves.
• If you wall-mount a flat screen, CPSC suggests considering a professional installer, and avoiding homemade brackets and shelving that may not suit the TV.
• After installing a strap, tug on it to make sure it holds, as CPSC's Anchor It! instructions advise.

The hardware is cheap. CPSC has said that if a TV or piece of furniture comes without an anti-tip kit, you can buy one online or at a hardware store for $20 or less. If you rent, CPSC's anchorit.gov site also explains how to fill the holes when you move out.

Before you buy

Decide where the TV will go before you choose a size. Check the set's weight and stand footprint on the maker's spec sheet, and whether the base or console you plan to use is rated for it. Check whether an anti-tip strap or wall-mount hardware is in the box. If not, add a kit to the order. Our guide to reading a TV spec sheet covers the rest of the listing.

What the data cannot tell you

CPSC's counts exclude falls of wall-mounted TVs, so they say nothing about how often wall mounts fail. Its fatality counts for 2021 to 2023 are incomplete because deaths are reported with a delay, and the report says its figures are not comparable with earlier editions because CPSC refined its methods. The report is the latest on CPSC's furniture research page, and the reminder CPSC issued before Super Bowl LX in February 2026 still cites its figures.