Officials Warn Against Keeping Your Tablet In Bed After 11-Year-Old's Bedding Burned
Technology definitely has its advantages, but when users aren't careful, it can also be incredibly dangerous. Take tablets, for instance. On the one hand they're useful, compact, and easy to drain the battery out of, on the other, they're also a bit dangerous.
Some of you might be thinking...Dangerous? And to that I give you Exhibit A:
This week in England, Cheshire Live reported that an 11-year-old boy woke up in a room filled with soot after his Samsung tablet burned a literal hole through his bedding and mattress. Luckily, he was not injured and a fire never actually ignited.
The boy had fallen asleep with the approximately 4-year-old tablet charging on his bed next to him (he had plugged it in around 9 p.m. that evening), just inches from his body. After he awoke and the incident was reported to the fire department, Straffordshire Fire and Rescue Service arrived at the scene, immediately issuing a warning: Don't leave your technology plugged in overnight.
This is especially true, firefighters revealed, if they are resting on items (like bedding) that can catch on fire if they become too hot. Instead, they recommend placing charging gadget on surfaces that are resistant to fire, such as glass, cement, and brick.
Additionally, practice standard fire safety rules to keep members of your household safe, should preventions not be enough. The simplest rule? Make sure all of your fire alarms are functioning properly, and check the batteries every year.
As for the tablet, Samsung is investigating the matter and a spokeswoman told Cheshire Live that "Product quality and customer safety are [Samsung's] top priorities." Unfortunately, though, this is not an isolated incident. While it may be uncommon, just two years ago, a New Hampshire fire department shared a PSA on Facebook about how phones and other tech can overheat in bed, causing safety hazards.
As Newton officials shared then, research has shown that approximately 53 percent of children and teenagers sleep with their devices near or under their pillows, and because doing so traps the heat, making it impossible to dissipate, it gets hotter and hotter, and your bed (or even you) are at risk of getting singed.
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