Child Labor Laws in the United States

Child labor is defined as the employment of children at regular and sustained labor, which is considered exploitative by many countries and international organizations.  However many countries in the world, including the United States, have contributed to this problem.

History of child labor in the United States

In 1852, New York was littered with thousands of abandoned, abused, and orphaned children living in the city's slums.  This prompted philanthropist Charles Loring Brace to establish the Children's Aid Society and created a program which would eventually be called "The Orphan Train." 

Abandoned children were placed on a train headed for the West, where they were encouraged to break completely with their past.  Once they arrive at a town, interested townspeople would inspect the children and take home the ones they wanted. 

After a trial period, some children became indentured servants to their host families.  Other states even encouraged child labor, which some people viewed as a way to "make slaves unnecessary."

Several attempts were made over those years to make child labor abolished, but were only struck down.  One such law was abolished by the US Supreme Court for violating a child's right to contract his work.  It took the Great Depression to end child labor nationwide, as adults had become so desperate for jobs that they would work for the same wage as children.

In 1938, then President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which placed limits on many forms of child labor.  The law still exists today and has been amended many times.

Laws in the United States about child labor

The FLSA sets the minimum legal work age at 14 for most types of employment.  However young people under 18 are prohibited from hazardous work.  Meanwhile, state and Federal child labor laws apply to people under the age of 18 in most cases. 

For young people between 16 and 17, the laws typically restrict work to non-hazardous jobs, although the work hours are unrestricted.  Meanwhile, young people age 15 and under are typically not allowed to take hazardous jobs.  They also have limited work hours, mostly to accommodate school when in session.

However, the FLSA also allows child labor age exceptions for certain types of work. 

For instance, children at any age may baby-sit, deliver newspapers, perform as actors, work in their parent's business (except when it comes to mining, manufacturing, and other dangerous jobs), as well as perform minor chores around their homes. 

Children younger than 14 years old are allowed to work in farms and other agricultural facilities, although some restrictions apply.