While it may seem strange to focus on a group that shouldn’t be working, especially on Labor Day, it’s crucial to consider children who are employed in inappropriate jobs.

Data from the Department of Labor reveals that child labor violations involving minors (excluding unreported cases) soared a staggering 472% from 2015 to 2023. This includes teenagers working late hours, excessive shifts, and in dangerous situations.

It’s likely that as labor shortages have intensified, employers are increasingly hiring workers under 18 to fill these gaps.

This situation is not how it should be.

The increase in child labor violations

During the industrial age of the early 20th century, children made up a significant portion of the workforce in factories and mines, leading to extreme exploitation. This situation sparked necessary advocacy, prompting the National Consumers League to campaign for legal protections.

The U.S. Congress responded by enacting the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938, which, among other provisions, restricted the number of hours minors could work, minimized their exposure to dangerous work, and ensured they wouldn’t work during school hours.

This was a significant victory for the National Consumers League, now marking its 125th anniversary. Nonetheless, it’s disheartening that the organization finds itself once more prioritizing child labor reforms.

Despite the protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act, recent reports show a concerning surge in child labor violations across the nation, coinciding with a primarily Republican and industry-driven trend to undermine state labor laws designed to weaken the FLSA.

In the past three years, 28 states proposed bills to loosen child labor laws, with about 12 states implementing them, according to the Economic Policy Institute in February.

Legislators work to dismantle protections instead of safeguarding children

It’s unfathomable that, rather than addressing such a clear problem, lawmakers are busy reducing restrictions on hazardous jobs for minors and extending allowable work hours.

Instead of focusing on child protection, legislators are catering to industry demands, making it simpler for them to exploit youth labor.

Many children struggle to stay awake in school because they’re coming directly from late-night jobs. Teachers have reported students with chemical burns on their skin. In one case, a teenager suffered amputation of both legs after an industrial accident while working for a construction firm.

In May, the U.S. Department of Labor revealed that a cleaning company in Tennessee agreed to pay almost $650,000 in penalties after investigators found they had employed at least 24 minors at two meatpacking and slaughtering locations.

Just recently, a 16-year-old was electrocuted while doing roofing work.

We strongly urge lawmakers to impose stricter penalties on businesses that choose to neglect their legal obligations, thereby putting children in harm’s way.

This Labor Day, it is essential to remind our policymakers of their duty to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of every child, recognizing them as valuable contributors to our future and not as an accessible pool of cheap labor.

Sally Greenberg is the CEO of the National Consumers League and chair of The Child Labor Coalition.