The screenshot taken from the website of Triple Pundit shows the title and picture of the article the news portal posted on June 7, 2023 to explain the ethical and legal landscapes of exploitive child labor in the United States. (Xinhua)
The 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act generally prohibits employing children under the age of 14, but there are many exceptions.
NEW YORK, June 9 (Xinhua) -- A growing number of U.S. state legislatures are responding to labor shortages by relaxing the laws around child labor, which can be a relief for employers in job markets where immigration crackdowns and other factors have squeezed the pool of adult labor, but both the ethical and legal landscapes should be watched in advance, reported Triple Pundit on Wednesday.
"Exploitive child labor is a matter of national policy that can ripple throughout supply chains here in the U.S. as well as overseas. It concerns all businesses, whether or not they employ school-age workers," said the news portal devoted to the intersection of people, planet and profit and focused on sustainability, corporate social responsibility and finance.
Exploitive child labor also feeds into structural injustice. It closes the door on accumulating generational wealth and robs the national economy of potential talent, watering down the next generation of entrepreneurs, managers, professionals, researchers, academics and other education-dependent positions, it noted.
Federal child labor laws come under the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). As the U.S. Department of Labor explains, the FLSA is not intended to prevent work altogether. It is intended to prevent injury and loss of educational opportunity, according to the report.
The FLSA generally prohibits employing children under the age of 14, but there are many exceptions. Also with exceptions, the law limits the hours minors under age 16 can work, and it sets specific standards for teenagers within certain jobs. Jobs classified as hazardous, such as operating power equipment, are generally off limits altogether for those under age 18, it added. ■
