• Child labor refers to the employment of minors under the age of 18. The government, through the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), established minimum laws for child labor. However, several states, such as Texas, have adopted stricter laws in an effort to protect against exploitation of children in the workplace. Under Texas law, the minimum working age is 14.
  
  

Prohibited Jobs

• Texas law limits the types of jobs children can perform. For example, children under the age of 16 are prohibited from working with heavy machinery, including operating power-driven culinary tools, working in the mining, manufacturing or processing industry, working in a warehouse, boiler room or engine room, or working in a position where they are required to drive or assist a driver. Children ages 16 and 17, however, are permitted to work in these occupations. However, all children under the age of 18 are prohibited from working with explosives or with radioactive materials. Children also cannot be employed in the construction industry, particularly with respect to roofing, excavation and brick manufacturing.
  
  

Hour Limits

• Texas law prohibits the employment of a child under the age of 16 during school hours when school is in session. Children under the age of 16 also cannot work more than 18 hours per week during the school year or more than eight hours per day. When school is not in session, children under the age of 16 can work up to 48 hours a week but no more than eight hours per day. The hours of the day children can work are also restricted based on age and whether school is in session. For example, children ages 14 and 15 cannot work between midnight and 5 AM. Additionally, during the school year, children ages 14 and 15 are not permitted to work past 10 PM on any day preceding a school day. Child workers ages 16 and older do not have restrictions on the hours they can work or the total number of hours they can work.
  
  

Exemptions

• Children of any age can be employed in the entertainment industry, such as radio, television or film, with parental approval. Child entertainers can also be employed during school hours or the hours normally expressly prohibited by Texas law. Some students can also work during school hours if they are part of an apprenticeship program, provided it does not interfere with the child's schooling and education.