Labor Department cracks down on child labor while states loosen laws

he Department of Labor is cracking down on child labor violations even as multiple states have taken steps to loosen regulations around teenagers in the workplace.

At least 11 states have recently sought to make it easier to get minors in the workforce, including this year both Arkansas and Iowa, the latter of which moved to allow teenagers to work in meat packing facilities and for those as young as 16 to bartend.

Proponents say the changes will help young workers acquire valuable life skills and that parents should be the ones to decide when their kids are ready for a particular job.

But child advocates fear putting teenagers into increasingly dangerous work environments that are difficult to regulate and vulnerable to exploitation.