The Children Act 1908, known as the Children's Charter, included provisions affecting public houses. It barred children under sixteen from the bars of trading pubs and reflected anxieties about childhood, poverty, and drink. The measure joined alcohol regulation to welfare reform.

The Children Act of 1908, which restricted children from pub bars, inspired Edwardian poets to address issues of childhood vulnerability and social reform. This legislation became a backdrop for literary explorations of innocence and the moral responsibilities of society.