History of child labour laws

 

While out blog visiting, I came across this post, https://itsmostamazingindia.wordpress.com/2025/06/12/child-labour-day

So decided to do a post about the history of child labour and child labour laws. This will properly be a two- or three-part series as there is a lot to cover.

I know that my dad’s father was working in the coal mines at the age of 14, this I know because his sister (Aunty Joyce) told me how when he was 14, he was injured while working in the mines and was in hospital. She would go and visit him and then go to the women’s ward and visit their mother who was in hospital as well, Aunty Joyce said she didn’t tell their mum at the time about Tom being injured.

Anyway, moving from that to the start of child labour changes.

Child labour laws began appearing during the Industrial Revolution, starting with the 1803 Factory Act in Britain. This act and subsequent ones, like the 1833 Factory Act, aimed to regulate working conditions, especially for children, by limiting work hours, children under 18 and banning night work, and requiring education. In 1878 The Factory and Workshops Act in Britain banned employment of children under 10.

By 1890, many European countries had implemented such laws. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 in the United States ended most child labour outside of agriculture.

Child labour laws in England began with the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act in 1802, which aimed to regulate the working conditions of pauper children in cotton mills. This was followed by further legislation, including the Factory Act of 1833, which established factory inspections and limited working hours for children. Compulsory schooling from the 1870s further restricted child labour.

Now days during school term time, children can only work a maximum of 12 hours a week. This includes: a maximum of 2 hours on school days and Sundays. a maximum of 5 hours on Saturdays for 14-year-olds, or 8 hours for 15 to 16-year-olds.