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Can't read the whole thing. But I started my first job when I was 13. When school was not in I worked 40 hours a week or longer and when school was in I still g

Can't read the whole thing. But I started my first job when I was 13. When school was not in I worked 40 hours a week or longer and when school was in I still got 20+ hours. I was paid 4.15 a hour, and have had a w2 every except two. I am now nearly 39. I assume thr problem is the wage? As long as it is on par with local wages I can't find a issue with 14 year olds working. Being able to work at age 13 was one of the single best things that allowed me to succeed, and move from what was surely doomed to be a poverty ridden life to making 6 figures by 30. Much if my daily work life still uses skills and work ethic built from those days working long hours in thr hot sun picking up other people's trash.

cardiffspaceman 6y ago
The wage is not the only problem. The problem is, do the workers know what they are supposed to expect in terms of safety? Are their parents able to guide them in various ways? I don't have a problem with 13-yo school students working paid internships on software for example, assuming that their parents and schools are in on it on the student's side. What conditions are these child laborers working in and how much of a role do their parents take in tracking what the workplace is like? Financially stressed families seem to sometimes get overburdened with the hustle and in such cases start to miss this stuff. In "Leave it to Beaver" land the boy goes to work for the grocer after a lot of conversation in the home and there's triangular conversation between the grocer, the parents, and the boy as the scenario plays out. This is affluence taking a hand. My immediate brothers and I did not have to work until they were adults. My half brothers, at the behest of their mother, worked as soon as they could, while staying in high school and going on to college, and I think it worked well for them. So, @mbrumlow, I think see how your situation benefited you.
xmprt 6y ago
There are certain jobs that are fine to do as kids. Working in service industries is very common in the US. Manufacturing and electronics however are not safe and have long lasting consequences that may be exacerbated by the fact that the kids working are young. It's not just about their age or wage but the type of work they're doing.
- zepto 6y ago
  Why is it safe for adults?
  - xmprt 6y ago
    Honestly in many cases, it isn't. But at least adults can consent and make independent decisions instead of following what their parents say.
hh3k0 6y ago
> Being able to work at age 13 was one of the single best things that allowed me to succeed, and move from what was surely doomed to be a poverty ridden life to making 6 figures by 30. That's utterly depressing. I'm sorry that you had to choose between having a childhood and living in poverty. That's a decision no child should have to make. I am firmly against working while underage, a child should be allowed to be a child.
- zepto 6y ago
  This seems to ignore how many people don’t have the resources to have a good ‘childhood’. Being able to work doesn’t necessarily mean something bad is happening.
  - hh3k0 6y ago
    I don't know if OP is from the USA but let's assume -- for argument's sake -- that he is. I'd argue that his country has the resources to provide every child with a good childhood. In fact, I believe that the failure to do so is a disgrace.
    - zepto 6y ago
      Is there even a single country that provides every child with a good childhood? I am not aware of one, or anyone who even claims to understand how to do it.
      - hh3k0 6y ago
        Countries where you do not have to disregard your childhood in order to avoid a life in poverty are plentiful. Child welfare is a top priority in every Scandinavian country, for example.
        zepto 6y ago
        “Countries where you do not have to disregard your childhood in order to avoid a life in poverty are plentiful.“ That’s a totally different goalpost from a country which gives everyone a good childhood. I’m sure Scandinavian counties are better at it, but it’s not at all obvious how the US “should” be able to do better than they do. How exactly would they achieve this?

cardiffspaceman 6y ago

The wage is not the only problem. The problem is, do the workers know what they are supposed to expect in terms of safety? Are their parents able to guide them in various ways? I don't have a problem with 13-yo school students working paid internships on software for example, assuming that their parents and schools are in on it on the student's side. What conditions are these child laborers working in and how much of a role do their parents take in tracking what the workplace is like? Financially stressed families seem to sometimes get overburdened with the hustle and in such cases start to miss this stuff. In "Leave it to Beaver" land the boy goes to work for the grocer after a lot of conversation in the home and there's triangular conversation between the grocer, the parents, and the boy as the scenario plays out. This is affluence taking a hand. My immediate brothers and I did not have to work until they were adults. My half brothers, at the behest of their mother, worked as soon as they could, while staying in high school and going on to college, and I think it worked well for them. So, @mbrumlow, I think see how your situation benefited you.

xmprt 6y ago

There are certain jobs that are fine to do as kids. Working in service industries is very common in the US. Manufacturing and electronics however are not safe and have long lasting consequences that may be exacerbated by the fact that the kids working are young. It's not just about their age or wage but the type of work they're doing.

zepto 6y ago
Why is it safe for adults?
- xmprt 6y ago
  Honestly in many cases, it isn't. But at least adults can consent and make independent decisions instead of following what their parents say.

hh3k0 6y ago

> Being able to work at age 13 was one of the single best things that allowed me to succeed, and move from what was surely doomed to be a poverty ridden life to making 6 figures by 30. That's utterly depressing. I'm sorry that you had to choose between having a childhood and living in poverty. That's a decision no child should have to make. I am firmly against working while underage, a child should be allowed to be a child.

zepto 6y ago
This seems to ignore how many people don’t have the resources to have a good ‘childhood’. Being able to work doesn’t necessarily mean something bad is happening.
- hh3k0 6y ago
  I don't know if OP is from the USA but let's assume -- for argument's sake -- that he is. I'd argue that his country has the resources to provide every child with a good childhood. In fact, I believe that the failure to do so is a disgrace.
  - zepto 6y ago
    Is there even a single country that provides every child with a good childhood? I am not aware of one, or anyone who even claims to understand how to do it.
    - hh3k0 6y ago
      Countries where you do not have to disregard your childhood in order to avoid a life in poverty are plentiful. Child welfare is a top priority in every Scandinavian country, for example.
      - zepto 6y ago
        “Countries where you do not have to disregard your childhood in order to avoid a life in poverty are plentiful.“ That’s a totally different goalpost from a country which gives everyone a good childhood. I’m sure Scandinavian counties are better at it, but it’s not at all obvious how the US “should” be able to do better than they do. How exactly would they achieve this?