In British society, protecting children's rights is a "hot" topic, and as a result, a debate has developed among British child activists over the protectionist and liberationist understandings of child welfare in the UK. On the one hand, a protectionist view sees adults as the guardians or protectors of children, while it sees children in need of special treatment. On the other hand, the liberationist view stresses the need to empower children themselves, sees children as competent and similar to adults, and seeks to free them from any age-based restrictions. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child attempts to integrate both the protectionist and liberationist understandings under one unified document. While the UK government, which has adopted this Convention, tries to ensure the protection of children's rights through legislation, children and social researchers are also working to protect children's rights. Social researchers have explored how children actively contribute to society through their everyday work efforts. While activists note that children are responsible enough to care for other children, British people routinely stereotype children as irresponsible and incompetent, and do not recognize the contributions children are making everyday. Children have proven they are a responsible group of people. Despite researchers' best attempts to present children as responsible contributors to society, the British people continue to overlook children's social status. Therefore, the UK government serves to balance the different understandings of child protection between the liberationists and protectionists.