Its seems like is has become a growing eppidemic that a larger portion of American Teenagers are having to abandon their kid life and start out in the real world way before they are ready. Thye now have this huge burden to support their families when the adults in the house have failed to do so. This is becoming a more issue because the legal working age has been lowered. For some teens it is a great way for them to make their own money age learn a valuable lesson on how to work hard for wat you want. But, when parents start taking advantage of the new laws and instead of working hard themsleves, force their children to work and then steal their had earned cash right from underneath them, it is WRONG!!!
These children have been manipulted into thinking that them working is right because they owe it to their parents and to think that it would be their fault if there was no steady income in the household. Nothing could be more wrong, It is the parents responsibility to care for their own children and when that child is 18 and has completed High School, then it is time to them to work. And unless it is decided by the child that they want to work in oder to improve their own financial state, only when they become an adult she they have to fully support anyone!
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I understand what you mean but there are parents out there working hard and not making the income needed to support their family. What about the single moms and dads that need the support of an older child? Yes, the child will have school work to deal with and all that, but if the whole family was depending on the money don't you think it right for that individual to help out?
No disrespect intended, but I generally disagree. To be fair, Americans enjoy levels upon levels of privilege in comparison to the way most of the world lives. I don't think that working is a wrong or unhealthy use of a young person's time. I think that Americans would actually tend to err on the side of not knowing what honest work is an how to be invested in it. With the correct kind of support, or even without it and with personal determination, young people can use what they've been given to better themselves.
Now, in the case of very young children being abused in sweatshop type labor--which does happen often, even in the U.S. today--this merits the kind of objection you raise. However, since you are talking about teens, especially in America where most of the ones you address generally have access to enough food, shelter, education, and otherwise basic necessities...I don't see any problem. Actually, it's probably a really good thing for the most part.