A 14-year-old’s biggest concerns should be finishing their homework, finding time to play outside with friends and spending quality time with family. They should not have to worry about going to work. Yet, in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the State Legislature are currently attempting to pass legislation that would weaken child labor laws. This is, in part, an attempt to fill job vacancies left by deported immigrants.
Rather than ethically addressing labor shortages by implementing fair wages, workplace improvements and immigration reform, state leaders are turning to children as sources of cheap labor. Florida’s workforce challenges are also deeply intertwined with immigration policies. The deportation and exclusion of immigrant workers has created labor shortages, particularly in agriculture, hospitality and construction, which are historically dependent on immigrant labor. Loosening child labor laws as a way to fill these gaps in the workforce is extremely dangerous for children, placing them at risk of exploitation and disrupting their education.
In late February of this year, Florida lawmakers introduced House Bill 1225 and Senate Bill 918. Both bills aim to significantly reduce child labor protections. If passed, the bills will allow employers to schedule 16 and 17-year-old Floridians for unlimited hours and days without breaks, effectively removing the current 30-hour weekly cap and restrictions on late-night work. The bills also give employers the same discretion with 14 and 15-year-old Floridians who have graduated from high school or are current students. Passing these bills into law will undo the decades of work done to enshrine vital protections for children, and will permit the increased exploitation of kids.
The push to weaken child labor laws in Florida also dangerously overlooks the historical events that led to these protections. One of the biggest tragedies involving child labor was the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The fire killed 146 garment workers, most of whom were young immigrant girls, some as young as 14, that were trapped behind locked doors in an overcrowded New York factory. This horrible incident was not one of a kind. Before federal labor protections, children died or were seriously injured each year in unsafe, grueling jobs in factories, mills and mines across the United States.
The tragedy at the factory inspired labor reformers like Francis Perkins, who witnessed the fire and dedicated her career to ending child exploitation. As the first female Secretary of Labor, Perkins played a key role in securing long-lasting federal regulations that protected children, promoted education and prevented abusive workplace practices. Florida’s current proposal threatens to reverse this progress and its vital impacts by ignoring the historical consequences of unregulated child labor and placing business interests over the health and safety of children.
Child labor laws exist for a reason. Forcing children to work perpetuates a cycle of poverty that can be challenging to escape and often impacts entire communities. Industries that face labor shortages, such as agriculture, construction and hospitality, are known for having physically demanding and harsh working conditions, including long hours, exposure to hazardous materials and high injury rates. Children are not physically or mentally equipped to handle these environments safely, which is why we have child labor limitations.
Additionally, Florida risks undermining the importance of education, which, when delayed, has a direct negative impact on economic growth. Research has shown that higher levels of education correlate with greater lifetime earnings as individuals gain access to better-paying and more stable careers.
Education also lowers unemployment rates by preparing people to adapt to a more competitive and ever-changing job market. Allowing children into low-wage, time-consuming jobs at such a young age makes them less likely to complete their education, resulting in a less skilled workforce and a greater reliance on low-paying, unstable employment in adulthood. States that invest in child welfare and education reap significant long-term economic benefits, such as positive child development outcomes in the short and long term and greater economic stability for families. Florida’s economy cannot thrive by relying on underpaid, undereducated labor.
Supporters of reducing child labor protections claim that there are benefits to giving kids jobs. They often argue that giving teenagers more opportunities to work can teach responsibility, provide valuable job experience and help families financially, especially in lower-income communities. However, this overlooks critical distinctions between age-appropriate, part-time work and the exploitation that would result from weakening child labor laws. Scaling back on the protections for children risks allowing minors to enter industries with dangerous conditions and excessive workloads, which will jeopardize their health, education and long-term success.
Instead of loosening decades-old child labor protections, Florida should address workforce shortages through ethical and sustainable solutions that strengthen the economy without endangering children. One of the most effective strategies could be to raise wages and improve working conditions in industries facing labor shortages. Many of these jobs remain unfilled not because of a lack of available workers, but because they offer low pay, poor benefits and harsh conditions.
Loosening child labor protections to address workforce shortages caused by deportations is unethical and dangerous. It sacrifices children’s safety, education and future economic opportunities for short-term business convenience. Working at such a young age exposes children to exploitation and often traps families in cycles of poverty. Florida’s leaders should focus on real, sustainable and safe solutions rather than resorting to regressive measures that harm children. Protecting the long-standing and vital child labor laws is an investment in the state’s long-term economic health and social well-being. Children’s safety and future should always come before economic expediency.
Nina Attisha is an Opinion Columnist who writes about politics in her biweekly column “Checks and Imbalances.” She can be reached at ninanina@umich.edu.
