What is the impact of child labor laws?

UPDATED: Jul 14, 2021

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Jeffrey Johnson

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Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

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UPDATED: Jul 14, 2021

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It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

UPDATED: Jul 14, 2021

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

UPDATED: Jul 14, 2021Fact Checked

Child labor laws are in place to prevent minor children from being forced to work in ways that are considered detrimental to them. Child labor laws state that children under the age of 14 cannot hold jobs. There are certain exceptions for those under the age of 16 years. For example, there are certain hours during which they cannot be at work. Under child labor laws and the occupational safety and health act, those under the age of 18 cannot hold jobs that require certain hazardous tasks to be performed.

The impact of child labor laws on the children themselves as well as on the economy and the well-being of the country in general are significant. Studies have shown that, in countries with less stringent or less enforced child labor laws, children receive significantly less education than they otherwise would, largely because they are working rather than going to school. Children who are not allowed to work tend to succeed at school and have more time for proper development, as well as better health, social skills, and stronger future earning power.

Child labor laws also impact the economy of a country. With the child labor laws in place, “sweatshop” style jobs significantly decrease. While children may be put to work at menial jobs that may not pay much and may require long hours, it is less likely that adults will accept these positions, particularly when the need for employment is less. Any country employing children probably has a very high need of income amongst its population. With less “cheap labor” to take such jobs, employers are in turn forced to improve conditions for their employees in order to keep people hired, thus the job market in general shows better, more humane conditions and higher income than it otherwise would.

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If you believe child labor laws are being violated, consult with an attorney as soon as possible for advice on how to proceed regarding the suspected violation.  

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Jeffrey Johnson

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Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

Insurance Lawyer

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

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