Defining Children and

Adolescent
INTRODUCTION

Although it is common to define children

by reference to age and the level of
children’s biological and psychological
development, definitions of children and
of childhood are much more complex
than this.
• The Convention on the Rights of the Child defines
“child” as everyone under the age of 18 unless,
under applicable law, majority is attained earlier.
The concept of childhood is understood differently
in different cultural and social contexts.
• “Child development”, or “child and adolescent
development” refer to the process of growth and
maturation of the human individual from conception
to adulthood.
 ADOLESCENCE

The term “adolescence” has particular connotations in

particular cultural and social contexts.
It is used to describe young people who are in the stage of
development that occurs between the beginning of puberty
until adulthood, without any implication that this period is
characterized by any particular behaviour or attitudes.
However, a distinction between children and adolescents is
sometimes necessary in order to highlight the particular issues
facing older young people, whose needs can be, and are
frequently overlooked.
In many cultures, the care of children is shared
among a wider group of adults, and often older
children, than is common in western societies.
The term “carer”, “care-taker” and “care-giver” are
used interchangeably to refer to those people who
play significant roles in the care of children.
KEY LEARNING POINTS

There is no universal definition of who is a

child, adolescent or youth.

Chronological age is not a sufficient

criterion for establishing operational
definitions.
Childhood is understood in very
different ways in different contexts.
Childhood is a social and cultural
construction, not merely a stage in
physical and psychological
development.
Children and adolescents can be especially
vulnerable because of their immaturity and
dependence, but it is important also to
recognise their potential and resilience.
A child-centred situation analysis may be
important in identifying and assessing the
particular needs of children in particular
situations.
CULTURAL FACTORS

In different cultural contexts, factors other

than age may be important in determining
who is a child or an adolescent: factors such
as social roles, gender, marital status and the
capacity to contribute economically may be
more important than chronological age in
shaping expectations of children.
CHILDHOOD AS A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
CONCEPT

• Childhood is neither timeless nor universal:

it is not determined only by age, or by
biological and psychological factors. Rather
childhood is understood by reference to
particular cultural and social contexts and
to particular periods in history.
 CHILDHOOD AS A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
CONCEPT
Childhood in Mexico is not the same as childhood in Madras or
Madrid: childhood at the beginning of the third Millennium in
London is not the same as it was two hundred years ago. In the
more developed countries of the north, for example,
childhood is now seen as an extended period of economic
dependency and protected innocence during which play and
schooling are seen as central components: but this is far
removed from childhood in many other cultures, where work
(whether paid, or work within the household) must take
precedence over both schooling and play
 CHILDHOOD AS A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
CONCEPT

In many countries of the south, the child-rearing

environment is characterized by large families and high
infant mortality: a heavy emphasis on parents’ efforts to
ensure the physical survival of their children means that
parents must devote much of their time to economic and
domestic activity, with many “parenting” tasks delegated
to other people, often older children. Western notions of
childhood often place an emphasis on children’s
vulnerability and innocence, but again in other contexts
this may be much less appropriate.
 CHILDHOOD AS A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
CONCEPT
Many child-rearing practices also reflect particular cultural
contexts: in some contexts in Asia, mothers may be quite
protective of their children, seeking to keep their infants
quiet and contented, and as they grow up there may be an
expectation of compliance and conformity, and an
acceptance of adult authority: by contrast, many American
parents may encourage open, expressive, autonomous and
assertive behaviour and allow a pre-school child to take
physical risks that would be unacceptable to many Asian
mothers.
CHILDHOOD AS A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
CONCEPT

In both instances there may be marked ways in

which girls are treated differently from boys. In
some contexts, being a boy, or a girl, may be
more significant than the fact of being a child.