Child Labor Laws for Those Under 16

• The federal government and the 50 states have laws that tightly regulate child labor. Labor laws are most stringent regarding those who are under the age of 16. After this age, minors may work far more hours and in a wider range of occupations. Knowing the law is important for parents, teens and employers alike to ensure compliance.

Permitted Jobs

• Young people generally cannot get jobs until they are 14 years of age, though there are some exceptions to this rule. Minors under the age of 14 can work delivering newspapers, babysitting, performing or working for a business who sole owner or operator is a parent. Once a minor reaches 14 years of age he may work in a few, restricted areas of more formal employment. These areas include restaurants, movie theaters, baseball parks, offices, grocery stores, retail establishments, amusement parks and gas stations.

Prohibited Jobs

• Federal law prohibits minors under the age of 16 from working in a variety of fields. These fields include public utilities, mining, manufacturing, processing, sign-waving, warehousing and transportation. In addition, minors may not do any work that is considered hazardous by the Department of Labor. This includes logging, meatpacking, roofing, excavating, demolition and working with most power-driven machinery.

Hours of Employment

• Federal law limits the number of hours that minors under the age of 16 may work. It also defines what time of day these hours may fall within. Minors under 16 may never work during school hours. Even when school is not in session, minors of this age may not work before 7 a.m., nor after 7 p.m, with the exception of June 1 through Labor Day, when they may work until 9 p.m. Minors under 16 cannot work more than three hours a day when school is in session, nor more than 18 hours in a week. On non-school days they may work as many as eight hours in a day. On weeks when school is not in session they may work up to 40 hours.

Minimum Wage

• Minors under the age of 16 are not subject to any special minimum wage. However, the Fair Labor Standards Act does allow employers to pay young people under the age of 20 a training wage for the first three months of employment. This wage can be no less than $4.25 an hour as of October 2010.

Work Permits

• A work permit is a document that authorizes a minor to work for a specific employer or at a previously approved task. Work permit laws vary from one state to another. Some states do not even require minors to have work permits, while others authorize minors only to work for a single employer.