Skip to main content

China drafts law to punish parents for children's bad behaviour

Visitors stand near a surveillance camera post in Tiananmen Square during the National Day holidays in Beijing, China, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Visitors stand near a surveillance camera post in Tiananmen Square during the National Day holidays in Beijing, China, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Share
BEIJING -

China's parliament will consider legislation to punish parents if their young children exhibit "very bad behaviour" or commit crimes.

In the draft of the family education promotion law, guardians will be reprimanded and ordered to go through family education guidance programs if prosecutors find very bad or criminal behaviour in children under their care.

"There are many reasons for adolescents to misbehave, and the lack of or inappropriate family education is the major cause," said Zang Tiewei, spokesman of the Legislative Affairs Commission under the National People's Congress (NPC).

The draft family education promotion law, which will be reviewed at the NPC Standing Committee session this week, also urges parents to arrange time for their children to rest, play, and exercise.

Beijing has exercised a more assertive paternal hand this year, from tacking the addiction of youngsters to online games, deemed a form of "spiritual opium," to clamping down on "blind" worship of internet celebrities.

In recent months, the education ministry has limited gaming hours for minors, allowing them to play online games for one hour on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only.

It has also cut back on homework and banned after-school tutoring for major subjects during the weekend and holidays, concerned about the heavy academic burden on overwhelmed children.

At the same time, China is urging young Chinese men to be less "feminine" and more "manly."

In its "Proposal to Prevent the Feminisation of Male Adolescents" issued in December, the education ministry urged schools to promote on-campus sports such as soccer.

(Reporting by Albee Zhang and Ryan Woo Editing by Peter Graff)

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high

The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.

DEVELOPING

DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk

The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.

Local Spotlight