Parents are critical about this ‘child-safe’ doorknob in a doctor’s office

Parents have expressed criticism about a so-called "child-safe" doorknob present on a door in a doctor's office.

The knob appears to be several feet off the ground to deter young children from opening the door and leaving the room. Spotted by Reddit user, 'Wepa', the knob had been installed in a paediatrician's office and its photo has since sparked a lot of debate online.

This doorknob at a pediatrician’s office is high enough to keep children from reaching it. from r/mildlyinteresting

Wepa captioned the photo:

"This doorknob at a paediatrician's office is high enough to keep children from reaching it."

Many users were confused by the positioning of the doorknob, however some explained that they had seen them in doctor's offices in the past. "My doctor had these in the 80s," said one user. "They were only tall enough to prevent toddlers from using them." Another asked: "Why would a toddler be left alone in a doctor’s office? The parent or guardian is always there with them in my experience." Others began arguing that the doorknob was potentially dangerous and that if a doctor wanted to keep toddlers inside, protective covers for doorknobs were available. "Right? What the fuck. Seems dangerous and illegal," started one user.

"A lot of people are assuming that all children everywhere are always attended by a parent/guardian 100 percent of the time. "Jokes aside, this could be very dangerous. A fire alarm goes off and everyone flees the building, and what if someone forgot to check this room that was in a far corner of the corridor or something. Idk, it’s unlikely but definitely possible."

Another user weighed in:

"As a redditor with an extensive history of knowing absolutely nothing about building code I'm here to confirm your suspicions. Shit is illegal af, fam."

While it is not known what country the doorknob was found in, and whether it is in fact illegal there, it's safe to say that Reddit wasn't all that impressed with the high knob.