Proposed China law would punish parents for their kids' bad behavior

Corrections and clarifications: This story has been updated to reflect that a previous draft of the bill contained punishments of fine or detainment.

Under a proposed law in China, it's not just the child who would be punished for bad behavior in the classroom: Their parents could be, too. 

The draft bill would shift a portion of blame to parents when their children act up, forcing them to attend family education programs if their child seriously violates school rules. 

The legislation also would allow for parents to be punished by authorities if their children committed a crime below the legal age, which is 16 for most offenses.

A previous version of the bill stated that failure to abide by family education punishments can result in a warning, then a fine of up to 1,000 yuan (about $156) or detainment for up to five days, depending on the severity of offenses. Those punishments were since removed from the legislation.

The "Family Education Promotion Law," is set to be reviewed by lawmakers this week.

The bill looks to promote and develop parenting skills, morality and the core values of socialism throughout the country.

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Zang Tiewei, spokesman for the Legislative Affairs Commission under China's National People's Congress, said a lack of family education is a "major cause" for adolescent misbehavior, Reuters reported.

The draft also tells families to be thrifty and encourages good study habits in kids. It tells parents to promote physical and mental health in their children. 

This is not the first time that China has taken a hands-on approach in reshaping childhood development.

In August, the government declared that children under 18 can't play more than three hours of video games a week, limiting national gaming hours to one hour a night on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. 

Previously:China limits children to 3 hours of online gaming a week

That move tightened gaming restrictions even more after an earlier restriction, set in 2019, allowed minors to play games for an hour and a half a day and three hours on public holidays.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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