China passes new law ordering parents to do more to lift ‘twin pressures’ of homework and private tuition
- Legislation, which also reinforces curbs on the amount of time children can spend playing video games, follows a recent crackdown on the tutoring industry
- Previous meetings of the country’s top legislative body indicate that the law will encourage families to promote children’s moral and intellectual development
They will also have to prevent their children from becoming addicted to video games, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
The full text had not been published as of Saturday, but previous Standing Committee discussions have indicated the law is designed to ensure children’s healthy development by encouraging parents and guardians to nurture and guide their morals, intellectual development and social habits.
News on the passing of the law has been viewed more than 33 million times within three hours on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
It divided users, with some applauding the move for encouraging good parenting while others questioned whether it could achieve its intended goals.
“The crisis facing the current state of family education is affecting the healthy mental and physical development of children,” commentator Deng Boyun wrote on Weibo on Saturday.
“But urban residents find it difficult to provide their children the socialisation with peers needed for them to be part of society. This is not something that can be solved by a family education law.”
