Federal laws to protect young workers from dangerous labor were established by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) nearly 100 years ago. These laws were enacted during a period when injuries and deaths were common among children working in hazardous conditions, such as coal mines and factory assembly lines. The FLSA aimed to shift societal expectations towards prioritizing education for children.
The FLSA restricts children under age 18 from working in nonagricultural occupations deemed hazardous by the U.S. secretary of labor. This regulation is designed to prevent young workers from engaging in dangerous jobs, such as handling explosives or exposure to radioactive substances.
Despite evidence that dangerous child labor can harm young workers, Project 2025 proposes eliminating protections against hazardous work for minors. Specifically, it calls on the U.S. Department of Labor to "amend its hazard-order regulations to permit teenage workers access to work in regulated jobs with proper training and parental consent." This proposal would allow teens to work in hazardous jobs, reflecting recent legislative trends primarily seen in far-right states.
In the past three years, "28 states have introduced bills to weaken child labor laws, and 12 states have enacted them." For instance, Republican legislators in Iowa passed a law permitting 14-year-olds to perform assembly line work in factories and meatpacking facilities, which directly violates federal child labor laws. These legislative changes are often driven by special interest groups seeking inexpensive labor for corporations—a trend that Project 2025 aims to amplify.
Recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) underscores these concerns. Since 2019, there has been an 88 percent increase in cases where children were found employed in violation of child labor laws. In fiscal year 2023 alone, the DOL "assessed more than $8 million in penalties," marking an 83% increase from the previous year.
The real-world risks associated with dangerous child labor are significant. Recent incidents include a 16-year-old boy who died working at a sawmill after becoming entangled in machinery and another teenager who died after being pulled into a woodchipper on a worksite. Despite these fatalities, the DOL continues to find minors working in slaughterhouses and meatpacking facilities—industries long considered unsafe for children.
Dangerous child labor also poses less obvious harms such as impaired mental health or disabilities since children are still developing physically and mentally. Additionally, illegal labor can negatively impact children's education due to long shifts that leave them too tired for schoolwork; some employers even pressure minors into skipping school for work shifts.
Project 2025 argues that teens' interest in dangerous jobs justifies their employment in such settings:
"Some young adults show an interest in inherently dangerous jobs... This results in worker shortages...and often discourages otherwise interested young workers."
However, Project 2025 overlooks that while teens may be attracted to these jobs, they might not fully comprehend the risks involved. Laws protect minors against various dangers regardless of their interests—such as drinking alcohol or smoking—and child labor should be no different.
Instead of addressing workforce shortages through safe strategies like apprenticeships and educational programs, Project 2025 suggests using children as a solution—potentially leading to increased injuries and fatalities among minors if protections are removed.
Children should not be subjected to dangerous working conditions that compromise their health or education. Dangerous child labor was recognized as a moral failure nearly a century ago; reverting back through Project 2025 would undermine this progress.
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