China has pledged to foster a child-friendly environment nationwide, ensuring public policies, spaces and services prioritize children's needs and perspectives.
On Tuesday, the National Development and Reform Commission, along with the National Working Committee on Children and Women under State Council, released a guideline on building a child-friendly society. The document outlines strategies across eight key areas, including infrastructure, safety and social participation, to promote children's rights and well-being.
According to the guideline, a child-friendly environment provides optimal conditions and services for children's growth and development, safeguarding their right to survival, development, protection and participation.
By the end of 2025, 116 cities across China were scheduled to have piloted child-friendly projects, benefiting more than 110 million children in urban and rural areas.
The guideline builds on experiences from these pilot programs and aims to transform the initiative from temporary, city-level efforts to a permanent, society-wide mechanism.
"The guideline sets the direction for building a child-friendly society during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period and beyond," said Wei Yifang, an associate researcher at the Academy of Macroeconomic Research of the National Development and Reform Commission.
Wei said the guideline covers children in both urban and rural areas and integrates child-friendly policies, public services, rights protection, living spaces and development environments.
The guideline emphasizes that public policies must fully consider children's perspectives. Local governments are encouraged to prioritize children's development and interests in policymaking and resource allocation, with child-friendly projects given priority in government agendas.
Public spaces and facilities should be adapted to better meet children's needs. The guideline encourages availing more venues for sports, entertainment, relaxation and off-campus activities. It also promotes the creative use of underutilized spaces, such as street corners, to incorporate child-friendly features, aiming to make such spaces the norm rather than the exception in cities and towns. Public venues, transit hubs and tourist sites are expected to provide basic childcare amenities.
Public services must prioritize children and be accessible, of high quality and inclusive, the guideline said. On the healthcare front, the human papillomavirus vaccine will be added to the national immunization plan, offering free vaccinations to girls aged 13 and above. Medical facilities are also encouraged to establish 24-hour emergency treatment channels for children aged 3 and under with critical conditions.
Primary and secondary schools are encouraged to open sports facilities to children during holiday periods. Scenic areas are urged to offer discounted admission for minors and consider raising height and age limits for free entry.
In transportation, cities are urged to make public buses, subways and major transit hubs more child-friendly. Ride-hailing platforms are advised to prioritize requests from passengers traveling with infants and young children. Railways and airlines are encouraged to offer priority boarding and check-in services for infants and their caregivers, as well as unaccompanied minor escort services.
More than 20 major cities, including Beijing, have raised the height limit for children's free subway rides to 1.3 meters. Cities such as Shanghai and Shaoxing in Zhejiang province have introduced child-friendly subway lanes, while Wenzhou in Zhejiang and Zhuhai in Guangdong province have relaxed rules on the number of children allowed to travel for free with adult passengers, according to a representative of the commission.
"By addressing small but crucial matters concerning children, we aim to create visible changes, tangible benefits and a warm, welcoming environment for children and their families," Wei said.
