Child

Achild(pl.children) is ahumanbeing between the stages ofbirthandpuberty,^[1]^[2]or between thedevelopmental periodofinfancyand puberty.^[3]The term may also refer to an unborn human being.^[4]^[5]In English-speaking countries, the legal definition ofchildgenerally refers to aminor,in this case as a person younger than the localage of majority(there are exceptions like, for example, the consume and purchase ofalcoholic beverageeven after said age of majority^[6]), regardless of their physical, mental and sexual development as biologicaladults.^[1]^[7]^[8]Children generally have fewerrightsand responsibilities than adults. They are generally classed as unable to make serious decisions.

Childmay also describe a relationship with aparent(such assonsanddaughtersof any age)^[9]or,metaphorically,anauthority figure,or signify group membership in a clan, tribe, or religion; it can also signify being strongly affected by a specific time, place, or circumstance, as in "a child of nature" or "a child of the Sixties."^[10]

Biological, legal and social definitions

In the biological sciences, a child is usually defined as a person between birth and puberty,^[1]^[2]or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty.^[3]Legally, the termchildmay refer to anyone below the age of majority or some other age limit.

TheUnited Nations Convention on the Rights of the Childdefineschildas, "A human being below the age of 18 years unless under thelawapplicable to the child,majorityis attained earlier. "^[11]This is ratified by 192 of 194 member countries. The termchildmay also refer to someone below another legally defined age limit unconnected to the age of majority. InSingapore,for example, achildis legally defined as someone under the age of 14 under the "Children and Young Persons Act" whereas the age of majority is 21.^[12]^[13]In U.S. Immigration Law, a child refers to anyone who is under the age of 21.^[14]

Some English definitions of the wordchildinclude thefetus(sometimes termedthe unborn).^[15]In many cultures, a child is considered an adult after undergoing arite of passage,which may or may not correspond to the time of puberty.

Children generally have fewer rights than adults and are classed as unable to make serious decisions, and legally must always be under the care of a responsible adult orchild custody,whether their parents divorce or not.

Developmental stages of childhood

Early childhood

Early childhoodfollows theinfancystage and begins withtoddlerhoodwhen the child begins speaking or taking steps independently.^[16]^[17]While toddlerhood ends around age 3 when the child becomes less dependent on parental assistance for basic needs, early childhood continues approximately until the age of 5 or 6. However, according to theNational Association for the Education of Young Children,early childhood also includes infancy. At this stage children are learning through observing, experimenting and communicating with others. Adults supervise and support the development process of the child, which then will lead to the child's autonomy. Also during this stage, a strong emotional bond is created between the child and the care providers. The children also start preschool and kindergarten at this age: and hence their social lives.

Middle childhood

Middle childhood begins at around age 7, and ends at around age 9 or 10.^[18]Together, early and middle childhood are called formative years. In this middle period, children develop socially and mentally. They are at a stage where they make new friends and gain new skills, which will enable them to become more independent and enhance their individuality. During middle childhood, children enter the school years, where they are presented with a different setting than they are used to. This new setting creates new challenges and faces for children.^[19]Upon the entrance of school, mental disorders that would normally not be noticed come to light. Many of these disorders include:autism,dyslexia,dyscalculia,andADHD.^[20]^{: 303–309}Special education,least restrictive environment,response to interventionandindividualized education plansare all specialized plans to help children with disabilities.^[20]^{: 310–311}

Middle childhood is the time when children begin to understand responsibility and are beginning to be shaped by their peers and parents. Chores and more responsible decisions come at this time, as do social comparison and social play.^[20]^: 338During social play, children learn from and teach each other, often through observation.^[21]

Late childhood

Preadolescence is a stage of human development following early childhood and precedingadolescence.Preadolescence is commonly defined as ages 9–12, ending with the major onset of puberty, with markers such asmenarche,spermarche,and the peak of height velocity occurring. These changes usually occur between ages 11 and 14. It may also be defined as the 2-year period before the major onset of puberty.^[22]Preadolescence can bring its own challenges and anxieties. Preadolescent children have a different view of the world from younger children in many significant ways. Typically, theirs is a more realistic view of life than the intense, fantasy-oriented world of earliest childhood. Preadolescents have more mature, sensible, realistic thoughts and actions: 'the most "sensible" stage of development...the child is a muchless emotional beingnow.'^[23]Preadolescents may well view humanrelationshipsdifferently (e.g. they may notice the flawed, human side ofauthorityfigures). Alongside that, they may begin to develop a sense ofself-identity,and to have increased feelings ofindependence:'may feel an individual, no longer "just one of the family." '^[24]

Developmental stages post-childhood

Adolescence

Adolescenceis usually determined to be between the onset of puberty and legal adulthood: mostly corresponding to the teenage years (13–19). However,pubertyusually begins before the teenage years. Although biologically a child is a human being between the stages ofbirthandpuberty,^[1]^[2]adolescents are legally considered children, as they tend to lack adult rights and are still required to attend compulsory schooling in many cultures, though this varies. The onset of adolescence brings about various physical,psychologicaland behavioral changes. The end of adolescence and the beginning of adulthood varies by country and by function, and even within a single nation-state or culture there may be different ages at which an individual is considered to be mature enough to be entrusted by society with certain tasks.

History

During the EuropeanRenaissance,artistic depictions of children increased dramatically, which did not have much effect on the social attitude toward children, however.^[25]

The French historianPhilippe Arièsargued that during the 1600s, the concept of childhood began to emerge in Europe,^[26]however other historians likeNicholas Ormehave challenged this view and argued that childhood has been seen as a separate stage since at least the medieval period.^[27]Adults saw children as separate beings, innocent and in need of protection and training by the adults around them. The English philosopherJohn Lockewas particularly influential in defining this new attitude towards children, especially with regard to his theory of thetabula rasa,which considered the mind at birth to be a "blank slate". A corollary of this doctrine was that the mind of the child was born blank, and that it was the duty of the parents to imbue the child with correct notions. During the early period ofcapitalism,the rise of a large, commercial middle class, mainly in theProtestantcountries of theDutch RepublicandEngland,brought about a new family ideology centred around the upbringing of children.Puritanismstressed the importance of individual salvation and concern for the spiritual welfare of children.^[28]

The modern notion of childhood with its own autonomy and goals began to emerge during the 18th-centuryEnlightenmentand theRomantic periodthat followed it.^[29]^[30]Jean Jacques Rousseauformulated the romantic attitude towards children in his famous 1762 novelEmile: or, On Education.Building on the ideas ofJohn Lockeand other 17th-century thinkers, Jean-Jaques Rousseau described childhood as a brief period of sanctuary before people encounter the perils and hardships of adulthood.^[29]SirJoshua Reynolds' extensive children portraiture demonstrated the new enlightened attitudes toward young children. His 1788 paintingThe Age of Innocenceemphasizes the innocence and natural grace of the posing child and soon became a public favourite.^[31]

The idea of childhood as a locus of divinity, purity, and innocence is further expounded upon inWilliam Wordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood", the imagery of which he "fashioned from a complex mix of pastoral aesthetics, pantheistic views of divinity, and an idea of spiritual purity based on an Edenic notion of pastoral innocence infused with Neoplatonic notions of reincarnation".^[30]This Romantic conception of childhood, historian Margaret Reeves suggests, has a longer history than generally recognized, with its roots traceable to similarly imaginative constructions of childhood circulating, for example, in the neo-platonic poetry of seventeenth-century metaphysical poetHenry Vaughan(e.g., "The Retreate", 1650; "Childe-hood", 1655). Such views contrasted with the stridently didactic, Calvinist views of infant depravity.^[32]

With the onset ofindustrialisationin England in 1760, the divergence between high-minded romantic ideals of childhood and the reality of the growing magnitude of child exploitation in the workplace, became increasingly apparent. By the late 18th century, British children were specially employed in factories and mines and aschimney sweeps,^[33]often working long hours in dangerous jobs for low pay.^[34]As the century wore on, the contradiction between the conditions on the ground for poor children and the middle-class notion of childhood as a time of simplicity and innocence led to the first campaigns for the imposition of legal protection for children.

British reformers attackedchild laborfrom the 1830s onward, bolstered by the horrific descriptions of London street life byCharles Dickens.^[35]The campaign eventually led to theFactory Acts,which mitigated the exploitation of children at the workplace^[33]^[36]

Modern concepts of childhood

The modern attitude to children emerged by the late 19th century; the Victorian middle and upper classes emphasized the role of the family and the sanctity of the child – an attitude that has remained dominant in Western societies ever since.^[37]The genre ofchildren's literaturetook off, with a proliferation of humorous, child-oriented books attuned to the child's imagination.Lewis Carroll's fantasyAlice's Adventures in Wonderland,published in 1865 in England, was a landmark in the genre; regarded as the first "English masterpiece written for children", its publication opened the "First Golden Age" of children's literature.

The latter half of the 19th century saw the introduction of compulsory state schooling of children across Europe, which decisively removed children from the workplace into schools.^[38]^[39]

The market economy of the 19th century enabled the concept of childhood as a time of fun, happiness, and imagination. Factory-made dolls and doll houses delighted the girls and organized sports and activities were played by the boys.^[40] TheBoy Scoutswas founded by SirRobert Baden-Powellin 1908,^[41]^[42]which provided young boys with outdoor activities aiming at developing character, citizenship, and personal fitness qualities.^[43]

In the 20th century,Philippe Ariès,a French historian specializing inmedieval history,suggested that childhood was not a natural phenomenon, but a creation of society in his 1960 bookCenturies of Childhood.In 1961 he published a study of paintings, gravestones, furniture, and school records, finding that before the 17th century, children were represented as mini-adults.

In 1966, the American philosopherGeorge Boaspublished the bookThe Cult of Childhood.Since then, historians have increasingly researched childhood in past times.^[44]

In 2006,Hugh Cunninghampublished the bookInvention of Childhood,looking at British childhood from the year 1000, theMiddle Ages,to what he refers to as the Post War Period of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.^[45]

Childhood evolves and changes as lifestyles change and adult expectations alter. In the modern era, many adults believe that children should not have any worries or work, as life should be happy and trouble-free. Childhood is seen as a mixture of simplicity, innocence, happiness, fun, imagination, and wonder. It is thought of as a time of playing, learning, socializing, exploring, and worrying in a world without much adult interference.^[29]^[30]

A "loss of innocence" is a common concept, and is often seen as an integral part ofcoming of age.It is usually thought of as an experience or period in a child's life that widens their awareness of evil, pain or the world around them. This theme is demonstrated in the novelsTo Kill a MockingbirdandLord of the Flies.The fictional characterPeter Panwas the embodiment of a childhood that never ends.^[46]^[47]

Healthy childhoods

Role of parents

Children's health

Children's health includes the physical, mental and social well-being of children. Maintaining children's health implies offering them healthy foods, insuring they get enough sleep and exercise, and protecting their safety.^[48]Children in certain parts of the world often suffer frommalnutrition,which is often associated with other conditions, such diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria.^[49]

Child protection

Child protection, according to UNICEF, refers to "preventing and responding to violence, exploitation and abuse against children – includingcommercial sexual exploitation,trafficking,child labourand harmful traditional practices, such asfemale genital mutilation/cutting andchild marriage".^[50]The Convention on the Rights of the Childprotects the fundamental rights of children.

Play

Play is essential to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children.^[51]It offers children opportunities for physical (running, jumping, climbing, etc.), intellectual (social skills, community norms, ethics and general knowledge) and emotional development (empathy, compassion, and friendships). Unstructured play encourages creativity and imagination. Playing and interacting with other children, as well as some adults, provides opportunities for friendships, social interactions, conflicts and resolutions. However, adults tend to (often mistakenly) assume that virtually all children's social activities can be understood as "play" and, furthermore, that children's play activities do not involve much skill or effort.^[52]^[53]^[54]^[55]

It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them. Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fears while practicing adult roles, sometimes in conjunction with other children or adult caregivers.^[51]Undirected play allows children to learn how to work in groups, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conflicts, and to learn self-advocacy skills. However, when play is controlled by adults, children acquiesce to adult rules and concerns and lose some of the benefits play offers them. This is especially true in developing creativity, leadership, and group skills.^[51]

Play is considered to be very important to optimal child development that it has been recognized by theUnited Nations Commission on Human Rightsas a right of every child.^[11]Children who are being raised in a hurried and pressured style may limit the protective benefits they would gain from child-driven play.^[51]

The initiation of play in a classroom setting allows teachers and students to interact through playfulness associated with a learning experience. Therefore, playfulness aids the interactions between adults and children in a learning environment. “Playful Structure” means to combine informal learning with formal learning to produce an effective learning experience for children at a young age.^[56]

Even though play is considered to be the most important to optimal child development, the environment affects their play and therefore their development. Poor children confront widespread environmental inequities as they experience less social support, and their parents are less responsive and more authoritarian. Children from low income families are less likely to have access to books and computers which would enhance their development.^[57]

Street culture

Children's street culture refers to the cumulativeculturecreated by young children and is sometimes referred to as theirsecret world.It is most common in children between the ages of seven and twelve. It is strongest in urbanworking class industrial districtswhere children are traditionally free to play out in the streets for long periods without supervision. It is invented and largely sustained by children themselves with little adult interference.

Young children's street culture usually takes place on quiet backstreets and pavements, and along routes that venture out into localparks,playgrounds,scrub and wasteland, and to local shops. It often imposes imaginative status on certain sections of the urban realm (local buildings, kerbs, street objects, etc.). Children designate specific areas that serve as informal meeting and relaxation places (see: Sobel, 2001). An urban area that looks faceless or neglected to an adult may have deep 'spirit of place' meanings in to children. Since the advent of indoor distractions such asvideo games,andtelevision,concerns have been expressed about the vitality – or even the survival – of children's street culture.

Geographies of childhood

The geographies of childhood involves how (adult) society perceives the idea of childhood, the many ways adult attitudes and behaviors affect children's lives, including the environment which surrounds children and its implications.^[58]

The geographies of childhood is similar in some respects tochildren's geographieswhich examines the places and spaces in which children live.^[59]

Nature deficit disorder

Nature Deficit Disorder, a term coined byRichard Louvin his 2005 bookLast Child in the Woods,refers to the trend in the United States and Canada towards less time for outdoor play,^[60]^[61]resulting in a wide range of behavioral problems.^[62]

With increasing use of cellphones, computers, video games and television, children have more reasons to stay inside rather than outdoors exploring. “The average American child spends 44 hours a week with electronic media”.^[63]Research in 2007 has drawn a correlation between the declining number ofNational Parkvisits in the U.S. and increasing consumption of electronic media by children.^[64]The media has accelerated the trend for children's nature disconnection by deemphasizing views of nature, as in Disney films.^[65]

Age of responsibility

The age at which children are considered responsible for their society-bound actions (e. g. marriage, voting, etc.) has also changed over time,^[66]and this is reflected in the way they are treated in courts of law. In Roman times, children were regarded as not culpable for crimes, a position later adopted by the Church. In the 19th century, children younger than seven years old were believed incapable of crime. Children from the age of seven forward were considered responsible for their actions. Therefore, they could face criminal charges, be sent to adult prison, and be punished like adults by whipping, branding or hanging. However, courts at the time would consider the offender's age when deliberating sentencing.^{[citation needed]}Minimum employment age and marriage age also vary. The age limit of voluntary/involuntary military service is also disputed at the international level.^[67]

Education

Education, in the general sense, refers to the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and preparing intellectually for mature life.^[68]Formal education most often takes place throughschooling.Aright to educationhas been recognized by some governments. At the global level, Article 13 of theUnited Nations' 1966International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights(ICESCR) recognizes the right of everyone to an education.^[69]Education is compulsoryin most places up to a certain age, but attendance atschoolmay not be, with alternative options such ashome-schoolingore-learningbeing recognized as valid forms of education in certain jurisdictions.

Children in some countries (especially in parts of Africa and Asia) are often kept out of school, or attend only for short periods. Data fromUNICEFindicate that in 2011, 57 million children were out of school; and more than 20% of African children have never attended primary school or have left without completing primary education.^[70]According to a UN report,warfareis preventing 28 million children worldwide from receiving an education, due to the risk of sexual violence and attacks in schools.^[71]Other factors that keep children out of school include poverty, child labor, social attitudes, and long distances to school.^[72]^[73]

Attitudes toward children

Social attitudes toward children differ around the world in various cultures and change over time. A 1988 study on European attitudes toward the centrality of children found that Italy was more child-centric and the Netherlands less child-centric, with other countries, such as Austria, Great Britain, Ireland andWest Germanyfalling in between.^[74]

Child marriage

In 2013,child marriagerates of female children under the age of 18 reached 75% in Niger, 68% in Central African Republic and Chad, 66% in Bangladesh, and 47% inIndia.^[75]According to a 2019UNICEFreport on child marriage, 37% of females were married before the age of 18 in sub-Saharan Africa, followed by South Asia at 30%. Lower levels were found in Latin America and Caribbean (25%), the Middle East and North Africa (18%), and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (11%), while rates in Western Europe and North America were minimal.^[76]Child marriage is more prevalent with girls, but also involves boys. A 2018 study in the journal Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies found that, worldwide, 4.5% of males are married before age 18, with the Central African Republic having the highest average rate at 27.9%.^[77]

Fertility and number of children per woman

Beforecontraceptionbecame widely available in the 20th century, women had little choice other thanabstinenceor having often many children. In fact, currentpopulation growthconcerns have only become possible with drastically reducedchild mortalityand sustained fertility. In 2017 the globaltotal fertility ratewas estimated to be 2.37 children per woman,^[78]adding about 80 million people to the world population per year. In order to measure the total number of children, scientists often prefer the completed cohort fertility at age 50 years (CCF50).^[78]Although the number of children is also influenced bycultural norms,religion,peer pressureand other social factors, the CCF50 appears to be most heavily dependent on the educational level of women, ranging from 5–8 children in women without education to less than 2 in women with 12 or more years of education.^[78]

Issues

Emergencies and conflicts

Emergencies and conflicts pose detrimental risks to thehealth,safety, and well-being of children. There are many different kinds of conflicts and emergencies, e.g.warsandnatural disasters.As of 2010 approximately 13 million children are displaced byarmed conflictsandviolencearound the world.^[79]Where violent conflicts are the norm, the lives of young children are significantly disrupted and their families have great difficulty in offering the sensitive and consistent care that young children need for their healthy development.^[79]Studies on the effect of emergencies and conflict on thephysicalandmental healthof children between birth and 8 years old show that where the disaster is natural, the rate ofPTSDoccurs in anywhere from 3 to 87 percent of affected children.^[80]However, rates of PTSD for children living in chronic conflict conditions varies from 15 to 50 percent.^[81]^[82]

Child protection

Child protection(also called child welfare) is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect.^[83]^[84]^[85]^[86]It involves identifying signs of potential harm. This includes responding to allegations or suspicions of abuse, providing support and services to protect children, and holding those who have harmed them accountable.^[87]

The primary goal of child protection is to ensure that all children are safe and free from harm or danger.^[86]^[88]Child protection also works to prevent future harm by creating policies and systems that identify and respond to risks before they lead to harm.^[89]

In order to achieve these goals, research suggests that child protection services should be provided in aholisticway.^[90]^[91]^[92]This means taking into account the social, economic, cultural, psychological, and environmental factors that can contribute to the risk of harm for individual children and their families. Collaboration across sectors and disciplines to create a comprehensive system of support and safety for children is required.^[93]^[94]

It is the responsibility of individuals, organizations, and governments to ensure that children are protected from harm and their rights are respected.^[95]This includes providing a safe environment for children to grow and develop, protecting them from physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and ensuring they have access to education, healthcare, and resources to fulfill their basic needs.^[96]

Child protection systems are a set of services, usually government-run, designed to protect children and young people who areunderageand to encourage family stability.UNICEFdefines^[97]a 'child protection system' as:

"The set of laws, policies, regulations and services needed across all social sectors – especially social welfare, education, health, security and justice – to support prevention and response to protection-related risks. These systems are part ofsocial protection,and extend beyond it. At the level of prevention, their aim includes supporting and strengthening families to reduce social exclusion, and to lower the risk of separation, violence and exploitation. Responsibilities are often spread across government agencies, with services delivered by local authorities, non-State providers, and community groups, making coordination between sectors and levels, including routine referral systems etc.., a necessary component of effective child protection systems. "
— United Nations Economic and Social Council (2008), UNICEF Child Protection Strategy, E/ICEF/2008/5/Rev.1, par. 12–13.

Under Article 19 of theUN Convention on the Rights of the Child,a 'child protection system' provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways this can be enabled is through the provision ofquality education,the fourth of the United NationsSustainable Development Goals,in addition to other child protection systems. Some literature argues that child protection begins at conception; even how the conception took place can affect the child's development.^[98]

Child abuse and child labor

Protection of children fromabuseis considered an important contemporary goal. This includes protecting children from exploitation such aschild labor,child traffickingandchild selling,child sexual abuse,includingchild prostitutionandchild pornography,military use of children,andchild launderingin illegaladoptions.There exist several international instruments for these purposes, such as:

Climate change

Childrenare more vulnerable to theeffects of climate changethan adults. TheWorld Health Organizationestimated that 88% of the existing global burden ofdiseasecaused byclimate changeaffects children under five years of age.^[99]ALancetreview on health and climate change lists children as the worst-affected category by climate change.^[100]Children under 14 are 44 percent more likely to die fromenvironmental factors,^[101]and those in urban areas are disproportionately impacted by lower air quality and overcrowding.^[102]

Children are physically morevulnerable to climate changein all its forms.^[103]Climate changeaffects the physical healthof children and their well-being. Prevailinginequalities,between and within countries, determine how climate change impacts children.^[104]Children often have no voice in terms of global responses to climate change.^[103]

People living inlow-income countriesexperience a higher burden of disease and are less capable of coping with climate change-related threats.^[105]Nearly every child in the world is at risk from climate change and pollution, while almost half are at extreme risk.^[106]

Health

Child mortality

During the early 17th century inEngland,about two-thirds of all children died before the age of four.^[108]During theIndustrial Revolution,the life expectancy of children increased dramatically.^[109]This has continued in England, and in the 21st century child mortality rates have fallen across the world. About 12.6 million under-five infants died worldwide in 1990, which declined to 6.6 million in 2012. The infant mortality rate dropped from 90 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990, to 48 in 2012. The highest average infant mortality rates are in sub-Saharan Africa, at 98 deaths per 1,000 live births – over double the world's average.^[107]

Sources

This article incorporates text from afree contentwork. Licensed under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0 (license statement/permission). Text taken fromInvesting against Evidence: The Global State of Early Childhood Care and Education,118–125, Marope PT, Kaga Y, UNESCO. UNESCO.
This article incorporates text from afree contentwork. Licensed under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0 (license statement/permission). Text taken fromCreating sustainable futures for all; Global education monitoring report, 2016; Gender review,20, UNESCO, UNESCO. UNESCO.

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v t e Development of the human body
Before birth	Development Zygote Embryo Fetus Gestational age
Birth and after	Birth Child development Stages Early Puberty Adult development Ageing Senescence Death
Phases	Early years Infant Toddler Early childhood Childhood Child Youth Preadolescence Adolescence Emerging adulthood Adulthood Young adult Middle adult Elder adult Dying
Social and legal	Minor Age of majority

Authority control databases
National	Germany United States France BnF data Czech Republic Spain Latvia Sweden Israel
Other	NARA Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine

Biological, legal and social definitions

Developmental stages of childhood

Early childhood

Middle childhood

Late childhood

Developmental stages post-childhood

Adolescence

History

Modern concepts of childhood

Healthy childhoods

Role of parents

Children's health

Child protection

Play

Street culture

Geographies of childhood

Nature deficit disorder

Age of responsibility

Education

Attitudes toward children

Child marriage

Fertility and number of children per woman

Issues

Emergencies and conflicts

Child protection

Child abuse and child labor

Climate change

Health

Child mortality

See also

Sources

References

Further reading