According to a new study, a prized childhood toy ought to be relegated to the scrap-heap. Trampolines, the American Academy of Pediatrics says, cause almost 100,000 injuries to kids per year.

The bouncey devices' skull-cracking potential has probably long been obvious to many parents, but in a 1999 report, the Academy gave trampolines a cautious endorsement. To cut injuries, the report's authors suggested manufacturers add safety devices like nets. The inventor of one told Reuters that his design cut trampoline injuries by half.

Many injuries, though, occur on the trampoline mat or when two or more people are bouncing on the device at any one time.

According to the same Reuters report, the number of trampoline injuries appears to be dropping, but researchers caution that the reduction from 111,851 cases treated at emergency rooms in 2004, to 97,908 in 2009 could be caused by a reduced number of trampolines in service in American backyards.

Where do you stand on trampolines? Are they safe enough for kids to play on?