Recently, a clip of diver Zhang Jiaqi and her mother interacting on the variety show "My Little One 2026" has sparked widespread discussion, with multiple related topics trending on social media.
On the show, her mother habitually criticized her daughter for eating snacks, keeping cats, and her lifestyle habits. When asked about her daughter's strengths, she could only manage to say "she handles pressure better than I do." Zhang Jiaqi herself admitted, "I wasn't raised by my parents, I was raised by the team," and revealed that all her income from age 10 until her retirement at 22 was managed by her mother. This included an 810,000 yuan prize from winning two championships at age 13, which went directly into her mother's account without passing through her hands. She also revealed that after retiring, she wanted to take back part of the prize money to learn about financial management, but her mother refused, saying "you don't understand finance."
Once the clip aired, online debate erupted. Some sympathized with the young athlete's years of hard work and felt she should have control over the money she earned; others felt that parents managing their children's assets is common in many families. So, who legally owns prize money and labor income earned by minors? Do parents have the right to dispose of it freely? After the child reaches adulthood, can they demand the return of this money? Attorney Wu Xuelian, a senior partner at Beijing Deheheng Law Firm, provided a professional interpretation.
Who owns prize money and labor income earned by minors?
Prize money and labor income legally obtained by minors belong to the minors themselves and are not the personal property of parents or joint family property. According to Article 15 of China's Labor Law, employers are prohibited from hiring minors under the age of 16. However, under the premise of complying with relevant national regulations and safeguarding their right to compulsory education, arts, sports, and special craft units may employ minors under 16. Zhang Jiaqi's career was based on this legal exception. Where the characteristics of a labor relationship are met, the wages and bonuses paid by her unit constitute labor remuneration and belong to her personally.
Meanwhile, Article 19 of China's Civil Code stipulates that minors aged eight and above may independently perform civil juristic acts that are purely beneficial to them, or civil juristic acts appropriate to their age and intelligence. Competition prizes and training allowances are Zhang Jiaqi's regular income from training and competition. She has actual awareness of the nature and source of such income, so receiving these incomes constitutes an act appropriate to her age and intelligence. The act is valid, and the property obtained legally belongs to her. Even if such income is collected or managed on her behalf by a guardian, this does not change the ownership nature of the property itself.
Can parents freely dispose of their child's money?
As the legal guardian of a minor, a parent may only safekeep the child's personal property on their behalf and does not hold ownership rights, nor do they have the right to dispose of the child's property at will. Under Article 35 of the Civil Code, guardians shall perform their guardianship duties in accordance with the principle of what is most beneficial to the ward. In other words, the only legal basis for a guardian to dispose of a minor's property is to protect the minor's own interests, and it may only be used for necessary and reasonable expenses such as the minor's living support, education and training, and medical health. If parents misappropriate a minor's personal property for family daily expenses, personal consumption, or other purposes not in the child's interest, this constitutes an illegal act infringing on the minor's property rights.
Can the money be reclaimed after reaching adulthood, and what is the legal basis?
Yes, it can be reclaimed according to law. Under Articles 17, 18, and 39 of the Civil Code, once a natural person reaches the age of 18, they become a person with full civil capacity. The parents' legal guardianship relationship terminates according to law, and the legal basis for parents managing the child's property on their behalf disappears accordingly. The child has the right to demand that the parents return all managed property and the legal proceeds generated by that property.
In addition, minors over the age of 16 who can rely on their own labor income as their main source of livelihood are legally deemed to have full civil capacity. They may independently manage their personal property ahead of time and demand that their parents return the property managed on their behalf. If parents refuse to return it, the child may legally claim the return of the original property. If parents have privately disposed of or misappropriated the minor's property, this violates the restrictive provisions of Article 35 of the Civil Code regarding a guardian's disposal of property and constitutes a tort. The child may, in accordance with the tort liability provisions of Article 1,165 of the Civil Code, claim damages from the parents.
It should be noted that after reaching adulthood, a child cannot unconditionally recover all property. Guardians can provide evidence to prove that expenses genuinely reasonable and exclusively necessary for the minor were paid from the child's property, such as special training expenses, personal living expenses, and medical costs, and these may be legally deducted. After deducting reasonable and necessary expenses, the parents must return the full remaining property to the child.