A child (plural: children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority. "Child" may also describe a relationship with a parent or authority 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."

Definitions

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as "every human being below the age of 16 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier." Biologically, a child is anyone in the developmental stage of childhood, between infancy and adulthood.

Attitudes toward children

Social attitudes toward children differ around the world in various cultures. These attitudes have changed over time and in different historical periods. A 1988 study on European attitudes toward the centrality of children found Italy was more child-centric and the Netherlands less child-centric, with other countries (Austria, Great Britain, Ireland, and West Germany) falling in between.