They pinch children (7)
I believe the answer is:
nippers
'children' is the definition.
('nipper' can be a synonym of 'child')
'they pinch' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'pinch' could be 'nip' (nip can mean to pinch or bite) and 'nip' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'pers' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for nippers that I've seen before include "Small children" , "They put the squeeze on" , "Claws; children" , "pickpockets" , "kids?" .)