In February of this year, the House of Representatives passed a bill to allow 16–17-year-olds to work longer and later hours, including when school is in session. The bill removed restrictions that were prohibiting teenagers from working more than eight hours, and restrictions prohibiting them from working more than thirty hours a week. This was passed on an 80-35 vote.
The bill has supporters and opponents alike, both with valid arguments. People in favor of the bill express how teenagers and their parents are familiar with managing time, activities, and schooling; therefore, lifting employment restrictions will help them learn to build their careers and earn money. In opposition to the bill, individuals say the changes will make it easier for employers and businesses to exploit teenagers for their work, and the longer hours could negatively affect their schoolwork. Republican Rep. Linda Chaney, who sponsored the bill, shared to U.S.News: “Nearly 1 million searches have been performed for ‘How can I get a job as a teen.’ They want to work. This bill gets government out of their way to choose a path that’s best for them,”
While there are factors that could affect teenagers negatively, there are cases where they may need these extra hours to support themselves or their families. Where we live, most students are blessed with families that can support them at home or even in college. However, there still are teens who are not as lucky, and it is important to allow them to have work hours to support themselves. This bill gives these teenagers the ability to work over thirty hours a week, which may be what they need for any home or future career-related troubles.
If these teenagers choose to work these lengthy hours, and depending on what job they work at, they could have the opportunity of having a higher position once they graduate high school. This can also apply to students who are not planning on going to college, especially in laborious careers, the experience they would earn in the workplace during their younger years could give them the ability to acquire a superior title sooner.
“I can’t believe that taking away the 30-hour requirement is such a gigantic ordeal. It’s not. I would say 99% of the kids probably won’t ever work past 30 hours in a week. They have other things to do; they have their social lives, their school, time with parents and friends. But our kids are not victims,” commented Republican Rep. Jeff Holcomb of Hernando and Pasco counties. “They can defend themselves, and guess what? They can talk to their parents if they have issues.
They’re going to learn time management, work ethic, and they’ll learn the value of a dollar”
quoted from Florida Phoenix. Holcomb has a good point, the hours are not enforced unwillingly, and the young employees can continue to work shorter hours if requested.
The ability for teenagers to work longer hours can be both beneficial and if taken advantage of, dangerous to a student’s mental health and schoolwork. The pros of working longer hours can outweigh the cons if the teenager chooses to be successful in their chosen profession.
