US Trends

when were child labor laws passed

In the United States, child labor laws developed over many decades, but the major nationwide law was passed in 1938 as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Key dates in child labor laws

  • 1836 – Massachusetts passed the first state child labor law, requiring factory children under 15 to attend school for at least three months per year.
  • Late 1800s–early 1900s – Many states began passing their own restrictions on child labor, but enforcement was often weak and inconsistent.
  • 1904 – The National Child Labor Committee formed to campaign against child labor and push for stronger laws.
  • 1916 – Congress passed the Keating–Owen Child Labor Act, the first major federal child labor law, which restricted interstate commerce in goods produced by child labor; the Supreme Court struck it down in 1918 as unconstitutional.
  • 1924 – Congress approved a constitutional amendment to allow federal regulation of child labor, but not enough states ratified it for it to take effect.
  • 1936 – The Walsh–Healey Act set minimum wages, safety standards, and some child labor limits for federal contract work.
  • 1938 – The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was passed and signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, setting national minimum wage, maximum hours, and comprehensive rules limiting child labor; the Supreme Court upheld it, making it the core federal child labor law still in force today.
  • 1949 – An amendment to the FLSA explicitly and directly prohibited certain forms of child labor for the first time in federal law’s text.

Simple answer for “when were child labor laws passed?”

If you’re just looking for the main date people usually mean when they ask “when were child labor laws passed” in the U.S.:

  • The key federal child labor law was passed in 1938 (Fair Labor Standards Act).

Before that, there were earlier attempts:

  • State laws began as early as the 1830s.
  • A first federal law, the Keating–Owen Act, passed in 1916 but was struck down.

Why it took so long

Reform took time because:

  • Businesses relied on children as a cheap, flexible workforce during the Industrial Revolution.
  • Courts initially ruled that Congress did not have clear constitutional authority to regulate child labor, striking down early federal laws in the 1910s and 1920s.
  • Only during the New Deal era, with changing legal views and public pressure, did the Supreme Court finally accept broad federal regulation, allowing the 1938 FLSA to stand.

Global note (very brief)

Other countries passed child labor laws on their own timelines, often starting with limited factory rules in the 1800s and then expanding. A key global milestone was the International Labour Organization’s Convention 138 in 1976, which sought to abolish child labor among school‑aged children worldwide.

TL;DR:

  • First notable state child labor law (Massachusetts): 1836.
  • First major federal attempt (Keating–Owen Act): 1916, later struck down.
  • Main federal child labor law still used today (FLSA): passed 1938.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.