While child labor is viewed negatively, apparently child labor and child slavery aren't the same thing, and child labor though it could still be exploitative/cruel in other ways, can be done voluntarily by the child, and with fair treatment/compensation/etc.

I suppose you could make the argument that any child labor opens itself up to problems, but could it be done responsibly? And if not, then at what age do we draw the line of labor being not ok regardless of consent?

  • nickwitha_k (he/him)@lemmy.sdf.org
    ·
    1 year ago

    Nope. Children are not able to provide informed consent and thus cannot enter into contracts to sell their labor. Beyond that, there is a wealth of data demonstrating negative outcomes related to child labor, including educational underperformance, increased incidence of poverty, abuse, and crime, as well as the potential of workplace injuries to cause permanent developmental impairment.

    There is no such thing as ethical child labor.

    • DragonWasabi@monyet.cc
      hexagon
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      I tend to agree, but what about making a child do chores in a family household? Most children don't want to do it and some don't get anything in return, the tasks can sometimes be grueling. Would that always be unethical, or only when taken to an excessive degree that severely impacts the child?

      • nickwitha_k (he/him)@lemmy.sdf.org
        ·
        1 year ago

        Chores are largely part of childhood education. Humans need to be able to do things that they may not find fun to both to survive as functional adults and function as a part of society. They also help to teach responsibility and contribution to larger things than themselves, whether a family unit or society at large.

  • OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml
    ·
    1 year ago

    Consent aside, it will never be acceptable in a place where there's free education, since educating a child is almost guaranteed to increase their quality of life and production in society

    • DragonWasabi@monyet.cc
      hexagon
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      What if they worked outside of school hours/while still maintaining their education? Depending on the job, it could help start their career and benefit them that way as well.

      • Ram_The_Manparts [he/him]
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        The only people who in 2023 goes online and asks ridiculous questions like "is child labor really that bad" are epic redditeurs.

      • BelieveRevolt [he/him]
        ·
        1 year ago

        ”What if the children consent tho” has historically been a very popular question with redditors.

  • NormalC
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    deleted by creator

    • DragonWasabi@monyet.cc
      hexagon
      ·
      1 year ago

      I was wondering if the cobalt mined for smartphones could be done ethically, even if they still needed to use children for it. What if the children clearly consent to working and are treated well in good conditions and paid fairly?

      • Hexagons [e/em/eir]
        ·
        1 year ago

        I try to stay civil outside hexbear, but this post is testing my resolve on that. Are you really so treat-brained that you're ok with forcing children to mine cobalt so you can have a smartphone?

        You should take some time and think about whether that's really the kind of person you want to be

      • spitz@lemmy.ml
        ·
        1 year ago

        Well, that doesn't work for sexual consent, and I guess it would be similar regarding this issue. Informed consent requires the person to be of such an age that their consent is valid. I'm no expert, that was just my initial thought.

      • aebletrae [she/her]
        ·
        1 year ago

        You wrote this ten minutes after being reminded that "consent" by children is nonsense, in what is still the most approved comment.

        If you want to be a successful troll, you are going to have to learn to be less obvious. If you want to discuss topics in good faith, you are going to have to learn that this "just asking questions" approach makes you look like a troll.