An Overview of Child Labor Laws in Georgia
The Georgia Department of Labor reports that approximately 80% of all high school students work these days. Federal child labor laws have been in effect since 1938, as a subsection of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to protect young workers from an unsafe work environment and ensure that they have the time to receive an education that meets national standards. However, some state child labor laws have been in effect since long before the federal child labor law was written, and Georgia's child labor law is one that meets that criteria. Georgia has been protecting its minor workers since 1878. For the purposes of both the federal and state child labor laws, a child is defined as any person under the age of 18.
According to the United States Department of Labor, the FLSA requires that youth must be at least 14 years old to perform most non-agricultural work. Exceptions to this minimum age restriction allow for youth workers at any age to deliver newspapers, perform in radio, television, movie, or theatrical productions; work in home businesses owned by self-employed parents, except for mining, manufacturing, or hazardous jobs; work as a babysitter; perform minor chores for a private residence; or gather evergreens and make evergreen wreaths as home workers. The federal child labor law also sets a maximum number of daily and weekly hours for children under 16 to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week during a school week, and 3 hours per day and 18 hours per week during a school week. In Georgia, the law limits under-16 child workers to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week during a school week, but 4 hours per day on a school day. The federal law also prohibits children under 16 to work between the hours of 7 P.M. and 7 A.M. during the school year, and between the hours of 9 P. M. and 7 A. M. during the summer (from June 1 through Labor Day.) The Georgia law sets limits for child workers under 16 to 9 P. M. to 6 A. M. year-round.
The Georgia Department of Labor Child Labor section reports that wherever the state and federal child labor laws differ, then the requirement with the most stringent standard is enforced.
The Georgia Department of Labor Child Labor section enforces Georgia's child labor law. The duties of the Child Labor section including reviewing issued Work Permits to ensure compliance with the law, inspecting employers suspected of violating the child labor law, issuing Certificates of Consent for minor workers in the entertainment industry, and presenting information about the child labor law and child labor statistics to schools, employers, or as requested.
