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Child labor laws developed primarily due to concerns about?

  1. Child education

  2. Worker safety

  3. Children's rights and welfare

  4. Economic growth

The correct answer is: Children's rights and welfare

The correct choice regarding the primary concerns that led to the development of child labor laws is focused on children's rights and welfare. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a growing awareness of the harsh conditions under which many children worked emerged. Advocacy groups and social reformers highlighted the negative impacts of child labor on children’s physical and mental health, development, and overall well-being. Legislation was ultimately aimed at protecting children from exploitation and ensuring they had the opportunity to attend school and grow up in healthier environments, rather than being subjected to long hours in dangerous workplaces. This growing movement emphasized the notion that children should not be treated as mere economic resources but should instead be provided with rights and protections that prioritize their welfare. Other options, while relevant to the broader discussion of labor laws, do not encompass the primary motivation behind child labor legislation in the same way. Concerns about child education certainly played a role, as laws aimed to increase access to schooling, but these efforts were part of a larger focus on ensuring the overall welfare of children. Worker safety relates more to adult labor conditions, and economic growth considerations were often secondary to the ethical imperatives influencing reformers' push for these laws.