After School Jobs

Teens should not be able to hold after-school jobs. This is worthy of discussing because it is important to keep our future generation safe. Many people would say that teens should be able to hold after-school jobs because it prepares them for experiences life later expects of them. But is that point valid enough to put your teen in harm’s way? One of the few problems with teens having after-school jobs is that they are unsafe. There are many accidents where young teens end up in the emergency room, or worse, in a grave. As said in the article Are You a Working Teen, “Every year about 70 teens die from work injuries in the US. Another 70,000 get hurt and sent to the emergency room.” For instance, “17-year-old Joe lost his life while working as a construction helper. An electric shock killed him when he climbed a metal ladder in order to hand an electric drill to another worker.” There have many been more accidents like Joe’s. Many accidents occur due to staff not receiving “Adequate safety training and supervision.” Teens are much more likely to get injured while working on a job that, by law, they are not allowed to do. While being aware of the law restrictions, employers are choosing to ignore them and are putting your teens in danger just so they can get a job done. Due to unsafe circumstances, while working, teens’ lives can be at risk.

Having an after school job can be considered a distraction when school is considered the number one priority. As stated in the article “The Pros and Cons of After School Jobs”, “After school jobs can greatly curtail the amount of time spent on schoolwork”. This means that schoolwork may not be getting as much attention as it should due to student’s minds more focused on their job. This can cause the student’s grades to