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Children, young people and the law

For tailored fact sheets and other information for children and young people themselves, see our Young People pages here.

Generally, a child is a person under 18 years of age.

Legislation

There are five main State Acts that specifically deal with children.

As well, there is the Commonwealth Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Australia is a signatory.

Where to find information in the Law Handbook

To locate topic based information within the Law Handbook, please use the table below.

Topic/s Chapter/Section
parental responsibilities Children and Young People, Parental rights and duties
physical discipline Children and Young People, Physical discipline
legal age to babysit Children and Young People, Legal age to babysit
leaving home Children and Young People, Leaving home
medical treatment Medical Treatment and Related Issues, Children under 16 years
youth treatment orders Children and Young People, Assessment, treatment and detention orders for drug dependency

body piercings

tattooing

body modification

Criminal and Traffic Offences, Tattooing, body modification and body piercing
taking or defending legal action Court - Suing and Being Sued, Children and civil claims
parental liability Accidents and Injuries, Children and negligence

crime

young offenders

Children and Young People, Young Offenders
bullying Children and Young People, Bullying of children and young people
cyber stalking and cyber bullying Criminal and Traffic Offences, Stalking, cyber stalking and cyber bullying
graffiti Criminal and Traffic Offences, Graffiti
victims of crime Victims of Crime, Children and young people
child sexual assault Criminal and Traffic Offences, Offences against children, young people and vulnerable adults, Sexual offences
entering into contracts Consumers - Contracts and Credit, Who can make a contract
employment Employment, Young Workers
driving Criminal and Traffic Offences, Driver's Licences, Learner's Permit
contraception, abortion Family Relationships, Having a child, Contraception and abortion
alcohol, tobacco and other drugs Criminal and Traffic Offences, Alcohol, tobacco products, e-cigarettes and other drugs
gambling Criminal and Traffic Offences, Gambling
weapons Criminal and Traffic Offences, Weapons
education Children and Young People, Education

Factsheets for young people

We have factsheets for young people on a range of topics including:

  • Alcohol and the Law
  • Bullying at School
  • Buying Things
  • Cigarettes and the Law
  • Complaints about the Police
  • Discrimination
  • Drugs and the Law
  • Families and the Law
  • Graffiti and the Law
  • Health Stuff
  • Living Independently
  • Parties and the Law
  • Porn, Sexual Photos and Films
  • Pregnancy and Getting Help
  • Public Transport and the Law
  • Security Guards and Bouncers
  • Sex and Consent
  • Social Media
  • Tattoos and Piercings
  • The Police and You

These are all available to view or print from the Young People, Factsheets and Publications page.

    Children, young people and the law  :  Last Revised: Tue Nov 20th 2018
    The content of the Law Handbook is made available as a public service for information purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal advice. See Disclaimer for details. For free and confidential legal advice in South Australia call 1300 366 424.