Other than dangerous jobs, should child labor laws, that were passed to protect unions from lower wage child labor, be abolished?

[Kelley1]

It is foolish to protect two children from being harmed if 100 lose the benefits of earning money and experience.

[OlderAndWiser]

Child labor laws were passed to protect the health of children and to ensure that they received an education rather than being sent to work in the coal mines and meat packing plants at age 6.

[Kelley1]

That's the garbage they are pushing and you fell for it.

[OlderAndWiser]

Yoou are right. I am sure you understand more about everything than me. People who are 20 never fall for any indoctrination; that doesn't happen until you start getting senile around age 39.

[Kelley1]

Age is only partly correlated with intelligence. When they don't have a good argument, older people pull the age card.

[OlderAndWiser]

And some young peolple are motivated by the arrogance that is only possible when you are ignorant.

[Kelley1]

Older is usually wiser. However, there are exceptions. Especially, those that instead of having 50 years experience, have one year's experience 50 times.

[OlderAndWiser]

Truly, you are a legend in your own mind.

[DrPepper12]

You're halfway there. Ask the next more important question!!

[Dongie]

They should hire more female miners, plumbers, and steel workers?

[goaded]

If children are allowed to do adult work, why don't they get adult pay?

[Dongie]

Because as term implys, adult work.

[goaded]

@Dongie Well, how is it that the laws "were passed to protect unions from lower wage child labor"? What that really means is they were passed to protect adults from lower wage child labor. We pay children less for the same work, because?

[purplepoppy]

Do we really want to hear guys whining about how they're outcompeted by 10 year olds

[hahahmm]

Lol, that wouldn't happen. For the same reason women aren't taking over construction jobs.

[DrPepper12]

PP that's EXACTLY how that would go down!!

[msc545]

No. These laws were introduced not only to protect unions from wage competition but primarily to safeguard children from exploitation, ensure their safety, and guarantee access to education. Historically, child labor often involved dangerous, grueling, and poorly paid work.

Children are generally seen as requiring special protections because they lack the ability to advocate for themselves fully and are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Without laws, children might be subjected to unfair wages, unsafe conditions, and long hours, especially in unregulated industries. Work might take precedence over schooling, depriving children of opportunities to develop skills for higher-paying, sustainable jobs in the future.

Providing industry with cheap labor is not nearly as important as protecting children. from exploitation and dangerous working conditions.

[Kelley1]

You believe their lies, not the facts.

[DrPepper12]

Amen! 🙌🏻

[SixFootSexy]

We could abolish child labor laws and age of consent and most of the government?

Have you seen Honeyboy?

A young actor's stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father and deal with his mental health. Basically Shia was forced to work as a child actor and his dad took all his profits. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_Boy_(film)

[Kelley1]

We can't do anything about that, Not all parents are good parents but natural selection weeds out most of the bad parents. But bad things will always happen whether a plane crash or something. Laws do not prevent all bad things and it is foolish to worry about the one bad and ignore the 100.

[goaded]

If, just taking your made-up numbers, just 100,000 children took jobs, that's 2,000 children being harmed. All so some business owner makes more profit. (There are about 4.5 million 15 year-olds in the country.)

The laws don't usually say they can't work at all, they say they can't work too long or in dangerous jobs.

[Kelley1]

There were 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2022. These incidents took place at a rate of 112.9 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent workers.

The harm would be far greater if to prevent those injuries, people were not allowed to work.

[goaded]

I don't understand what point you're trying to make.

[errorgoodnameunfound]

I'm not even sure children could handle a lot a jobs nowadays. I've seen some handle a cash register while relatively young, but that's also because it's a family business of sorts most likely and probably isn't an everyday deal. As of now, the labor market is already tight as is and AI may replace a lot so to add competition for children may in fact add to the jobless and homeless population. It's better to push the current adult that is crap at their job to do better than replace with a kid.

[slatyb]

It's hardly foolish to have laws to prevent serious injury to that many children. Children are deemed unable to give consent to perform hazardous work, just as they are deemed unable to consent to sex.

[beefcakebradybatson]

BS. I assume you'd like to return to the days when children like Billy Joe Frazier (yes, THAT Billy Joe Frazier) began working at SIX as a sharecropper, as did Joe Louis, plus in the early years of the 20th century there were small lads called "lint boys" who cleaned textile machines. Most of these children received little education and were severely exploited by their employers. Another example of the right's hatred of children

[jshm2]

That is an asinine statement, and you should hang your head in shame for thinking it, let alone uttering it.

Kids need to be studying and exploring the world, not working to the bone like low pay adults.

[WindAtMyBack]

That's not why child labor laws were passed. Come on now, that's absurd.

I think in some cases the child labor laws should be loosened a little, but overall they just make sense.

[AviatorTom]

Children deserve the right to be children, to play and have fun. Child labor laws allow thst to happen. They should not be abolished.

[Dongie]

Natural selection! HAH!! How could that be? That is STUPID!

[exitseven]

I remember getting working papers at 15 so I was able to work at 15. The laws are good the way they are

[HungTexan]

Good question, but I think child labor laws are a good thing.

[nawtee_me]

Parents can sign papers so their children can work when underage. I did for my 15 year old at the time. He worked the summer and save enough money to buy his first vehicle.

[OddBeMe]

Sigh…that’s not why child labor laws were enacted. Children should be learning

[Iron_Man]

Adults should be paid much higher than teenagers. It’s as simple as that teenagers don’t have to take care of a home and family. They live with their parents

[Kelley1]

That is not relevant. The market doesn't hire and pay wages based on needs. Wages are based on performance. Any company placing needs above performance would soon be bankrupt.

[Iron_Man]

Teenagers cannot hold a candle to an adult on any level. Let’s get real here.

[Kelley1]

Don't be stupid. Generally, adults have more experience and higher performance than teenagers. However, performance, not age determines wages.

[Iron_Man]

Ask yourself that question look at yourself in the mirror and repeat to yourself what you said to me. I just finished telling you that anyway go debate the other woman in here not me.

[purplepoppy]

Employers don't give a monkeys about your financial needs. If they could replace you with a 10 year old they would. Same way they'd ship your job off to china or give it to a Mexican. Little Johnny might not be able to hump 50lb of timber up a ladder but he's probably got better computer skills than most adults or for delicate work his fingers are much better.

[Kelley1]

@purplepoppy You are telling it like it is.

[hahahmm]

@Kelley1 "However, performance, not age determines wages." There's people who are high performers but screwed on wages. Most people get promoted over time so older people tend to have higher level jobs than younger people. Unless you are talking about some industry like fast food or walmart door greeters.

[Iron_Man]

lol girls

[onedarkcloud]

Sometimes they are the breadwinner because of sickness accidents mental problems or the parent or parents are drug addicts so they step up and work to feed themselves and their siblings

[Dongie]

The hell they don't, Kelly. A guy much less experienced and not near as productive as I made more framing because he had kids back in 1997. The reason I was given was because he NEEDED it because he had fucking kids.

[Iron_Man]

@Dongie 👍

[Kelley1]

@Dongie Exceptions do not not make the rule.

[Dongie]

Well, think about how I felt about that shit! I worked circles around nearly everybody on that crew. He was making a couple bucks more than me. You think it's not not the exception. I thought it fucking sucked.

[Dongie]

But a fuckin kid living at home with a job while an adult is out of work is a failure by society.

[Surely]

Your opinion may change. If one or both of those 2 percent of children were yours.

[Kelley1]

That is a stupid argument

[Dongie]

No, Surely I don't think she would care.

[Surely]

@Dongie For a young woman that wanted to be engaged by December 31. Then planning on marrying and having babies. You might be right.
I get the feeling that her idea of children are ones under 18 years old. My definition of children are ones under 12. At twelve years old. I was driving tractors and doing a lot of the farm work and helping the neighbors farm!

[Dongie]

Me too, on the tractor but much younger in my dad's lap.

[Surely]

@Dongie Before my legs could reach the pedals. I was steering the tractor to pick up hay bales and rocks out of the fields.

[Dongie]

Yeah.

[Dongie]

Texas?

[Surely]

@Dongie No. PA.

[Dongie]

👌🏻

[Astarlessnightsky]

No. Children shouldn't work.

[Dongie]

Nope!