The Industrial Revolution led to poor working and living conditions for many. Long hours, low pay, and unsafe conditions were common in factories. Children as young as 5 or 6 worked in the same hazardous environments as adults. Rapid urbanization overwhelmed cities, resulting in overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions with inadequate housing and public services. Reforms began in the early 1800s to regulate child labor and improve conditions, but full reform took many decades.