Fit window and balcony restrictors when children live at home; insect screens are not guards
A few dozen renminbi buys a restrictor. In New York, a program combining free window guards for high-risk households with home visits halved reported child falls in one borough over three years. The city later required landlords to fit guards in homes with children. An insect screen can give way when pushed; it is not fall protection.
What it takes
A set of window restrictors or child locks costs a few dozen renminbi in China and takes about ten minutes to fit.
What you may gain
New York City's “Children Can't Fly” program began in 1972, distributing free window guards and providing home visits in high-risk neighborhoods. Reported falls in the Bronx declined 50% from 1973 to 1975. The city subsequently amended its health code to require landlords to install window guards in apartments occupied by children aged 10 or younger.
Context & considerations
Keep beds, sofas, boxes and other climbable objects away from windows and balcony edges. Screens keep insects out but may detach under pressure; never treat them as guards. This is not only a high-rise issue: most falls in the US data were from the second story or lower.
Research & references
Spiegel CN, Lindaman FC (1977). Children can't fly: a program to prevent childhood morbidity and mortality from window falls. American Journal of Public Health. The report records a 50% decline in reported Bronx falls from 1973 to 1975 and the 1976 health-code amendment requiring guards in apartments with children aged 10 or younger. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.67.12.1143 ; (2021). Unintentional Window Falls in Children and Adolescents. Academic Pediatrics. US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System data for January 2007–August 2017 covered 38,840 emergency visits; most falls involved children under 6 falling from the second story or below. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2020.07.008