As students across the commonwealth return to school, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) is reminding employers, parents, and young workers about the rights and responsibilities under Pennsylvania’s Child Labor Act, ensuring teens can gain valuable work experience while staying safe and prioritizing education.
Pennsylvania’s Child Labor Act, enforced by L&I’s Bureau of Labor Law Compliance (BLLC), protects the health, safety, and well-being of workers under the age of 18 by limiting the hours that may be worked, restricting hazardous job duties, requiring work permits, and setting clear conditions for lawful employment.
“As students head back to school, many will continue building valuable skills and earning income through part-time jobs, but those opportunities should never come at the expense of their safety or education,” said L&I Secretary Nancy A. Walker. “Most employers want to do the right thing, and L&I is here to provide the guidance they need to comply with the law. But when employers cut corners or ignore protections for minors, we will take those violations seriously.”
In 2025 alone, L&I investigated 1,265 child labor cases and found 231 companies in violation of the Child Labor Act.
Pennsylvania’s Child Labor Act includes specific rules for young workers based on age, type of work, school status, hours, breaks, work permits, and other requirements. This information is intended as general guidance only, and employers, parents, and young workers should review L&I’s Child Labor Act guidance for detailed information before a minor begins work.
• Minors under 14 years of age may not be employed or permitted to work in any occupation, with some very limited exceptions.
• When school is in session, 14- and 15-year-olds may only work between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., with a maximum of three hours per school day and 18 hours per school week (Monday-Friday).
• When school is in session, 16- and 17-year-olds may only work between 6 a.m. and 12 a.m., with a maximum of eight hours per school day and 40 hours per school week (Monday-Friday).
• Minors are prohibited from working in occupations deemed hazardous under state and federal law. These include jobs involving dangerous machinery, elevated workspaces, demolition, and other unsafe conditions.
Examples of prohibited tasks can be found online and include:
• Serving or dispensing alcoholic beverages
• Crane operation
• Electrical installation or repair
• Excavation
• Roofing
• Woodworking with power tools
• Wrecking and demolition work
Children working or volunteering as performers are afforded special protections under state law, such as required breaks. Employers of child performers must apply for entertainment permits on behalf of each child performer, including those who perform live at Halloween-themed attractions. The BLLC approves permits that meet the requirements of the Act; haunted attraction operators must submit an approved safety plan before applying for permits for performers under the age of 18.
AG highlights office resources, successes
Attorney General Dave Sunday joined leaders from the Boys and Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania to highlight actions and initiatives by the office aimed at protecting and supporting Pennsylvania students as they head back to school.
Sunday highlighted last week’s landmark settlement with Meta, which addressed the addictiveness of Meta platforms. Lawsuits with similar allegations were recently filed against Snapchat and TikTok.
AG Sunday also shared the success of last year’s teenTALK program, a series of chats with Pennsylvania students, and introduced some new programming from the office.
“Being a parent in 2026 is hard when we know technology is changing faster than anyone can keep up with,” Sunday said. “I am excited about the steps my office has taken to address issues related to social media platforms, and will continue to prioritize children’s safety and mental well-being. I believe it is essential for kids to have real-life, in-person connections with their peers and mentors, and great organizations like the Boys and Girls Club are instrumental in providing those spaces.”
Sunday and members of his staff met with club leadership and toured the facility before learning about programming available to the region’s youth.
The Office of Attorney General has a wide range of resources available to schools through multiple sections.
CareerLink representative available for assistance
Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, has announced a representative from PA CareerLink will be available to answer questions and provide guidance on Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. at her district office, 22 Dallas Shopping Center, Memorial Highway, Dallas.
“Whether you are looking for a new job or simply want to strengthen your skills, PA CareerLink has resources available to help,” Baker said. “I encourage anyone who is searching for employment or looking to advance their career to take advantage of these free services and the expertise available right here in our community.”
For information, call Baker’s district office at 570-675-3931.
Pennycuick introduces data center measure
Sen. Tracy Pennycuick this week introduced legislation to prohibit foreign control of sensitive data center infrastructure in Pennsylvania.
Senate Bill 1442 is part of a package of legislation that includes establishing a “bring-your-own-generation” requirement for large projects, demanding public meetings, protecting ratepayers from higher electric bills, requiring data centers to pay their fair share, addressing water and energy demands, and making sure residents have a real voice before any project moves forward.
“Protecting Pennsylvania’s data centers from foreign control is essential to safeguarding our commonwealth’s economic security, national security, and sensitive data,” Pennycuick said. “Senate Bill 1442 takes a proactive approach by ensuring that foreign-controlled entities cannot gain control of the infrastructure that powers our digital economy.”
The legislative package also includes the prohibition of nondisclosure agreements between data center developers and municipalities.
AG joins FTC lawsuit against Amazon
Sunday announced that his office, along with 21 other attorneys general, has joined a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission against Amazon.com, Inc., regarding alleged deceptive and unfair practices that secretly inflated prices in its auctions for advertisements on Amazon’s website and app.
The complaint alleges that, for over seven years, Amazon has covertly and substantially increased the prices that more than one million brands and sellers — including small businesses and sellers in Pennsylvania — were required to pay to advertise on its platform.
As a result, the complaint alleges, Amazon’s scheme has likely illegally obtained tens of billions of dollars from its unwitting advertising customers.
“Amazon secretly raised prices in auctions for advertisements on their website, preying on smaller businesses on tight budgets,” Sunday said.
These digital advertisements at issue are used by advertisers, including over 14,000 independent sellers in Pennsylvania that sell more than 100 million items a year on Amazon, such as groceries, clothing, and other essential items. Among other allegations, Amazon overrides and replaces the actual auction results with higher prices set by Amazon to increase the ad prices so as to increase Amazon’s profits.
The complaint further alleges that Amazon intentionally concealed its actions from advertisers and that advertisers were substantially overcharged in the form of fees and surcharges, which were ultimately passed down to shoppers in the form of higher prices.
The lawsuit seeks restitution, penalties, costs, and an injunction against Amazon for alleged violations of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.
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Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on X @TLBillOBoyle.
