YES: Let Teens Work.

Over the past year, to help deal with labor shortages, several states have pushed for legislative changes that would let more teenagers work. New Jersey enacted a bill allowing 16-year-olds to work up to 50 hours a week during summer break with parental approval. In Ohio, the legislature is considering a proposal that would make it possible for 14- and 15-year-olds to work longer hours during the school year—one of the few policies Democrats and Republicans in the legislature agree on. And last month, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill that eliminated a requirement that 14- and 15-year-olds obtain a permit before getting a job.

These bills don’t primarily benefit the big food lobby, as the union-backed group that posted the video claims. And it’s not an evil plot to exploit children for profit. The people who stand to benefit most are teenagers themselves, who by having a job can learn to show up on time, follow instructions, work collaboratively, and manage money that they earned themselves and therefore value more.

“I feel as if I’ve learned so much from this simple job over the past few years,” a teen who worked as a ski instructor told The New York Times in 2022. “I’ve learned how to work with children, become a better teacher, and how to help different people based on how they learn new skills.”

“My job has helped me personally in many ways, I was super shy before I started and now I am more confident,” added another high school student, who was working 5 days a week after school. “I have learned time management so that I can get from school to work and then come home and do homework.”

Plenty of data backs up the claim that holding a job as a teen has positive effects.

I agree, and had some related thoughts here.

There is a constitutional right to work, and I see no reason why it shouldn’t extend to teens.