The 1833 Factory Act legitimized child labor by regulating rather than abolishing it: children 9-13 could "only" work 9 hours daily, while those 14-18 could work 12 hours. The Act required two hours of education daily, but factory owners deducted this from wages and held "school" in noisy factory floors. This legislation reveals Victorian hypocrisy perfectly—creating an appearance of protection while enshrining children's industrial exploitation in law. E.B. Browning's "The Cry of the Children" exposed how these "reforms" merely systematized abuse, as children still stood at machines until they collapsed, now with government approval.
UK Parliament. “The 1833 Factory Act.” UK Parliament, 2025, www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/livinglearni.... Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
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