The current United States child labor laws say that children have to be fourteen years old to be employed. There are a few exceptions to this minimum age. Children who are employed as television, movie, theater, or radio stars can be employed at a younger age. Parents who own their own businesses can employ their children, as long as the job is not hazardous or a manufacturing type job.
Child labor laws also govern the hours children can be employed. During the school year, children who are fourteen and fifteen years old can only work outside the hours of the school day. The maximum amount of hours they can work is three per day, or eighteen per week. During school breaks, children of this age can work eight hours a day and up to forty hours per week. During the summers, young teens must be done working by seven in the evening. Children who are sixteen and older may work an unlimited number of hours per day or week.
Agricultural employment has different rules. Children as young as ten and eleven can work on their family farms, as long as they do not work during school hours and do not perform hazardous tasks. Children who are twelve or thirteen can work on farms their parents work on, even if they are not owned by their parents. Fourteen and fifteen year olds can work any farm job that is not considered hazardous. Once a child turns sixteen there are no limits to the agricultural jobs the child can perform.
Child labor laws restrict any child that is younger than sixteen to work while school is in session. Children must be paid at the youth minimum wage, which is $4.25 for the first ninety days of employment. After this, children must be paid the national minimum wage, which is $5.15. The exceptions are students who work as student learners or children who are employed by their parents.
Not all countries have child labor laws. Child labor in China, for example, is a major problem. No one knows for sure how many children are working rather than attending school, but the estimates range at ten million children, with five million of those working dangerous factory jobs. Child labor in China has resulted in many children being kidnapped and sold to factories as workers. This is just one example of many countries that do not protect their children in the work place.
Child labor laws are important, as they protect innocent youths from being misused in the workplace, and they protect jobs for the adults who need to work to provide for their families. Without child labor laws, the education of our children would suffer. Support child labor laws in your state, and you will preserve the future of our country.