Child Labor Laws Good and Bad

The problem that I have with most laws is their unintended consequences. While no one wants to return to the audacious conditions that occurred prior to the child labor laws, I believe that we are hurting our younger generations in other ways by not allowing them the opportunity to work.
What if we allowed youth to work? Even if it was only part time. There are many jobs that young people could perform without putting them in danger and still giving them the opportunity to contribute to the community. Work is a vital part of teaching our youth work ethics and moral character.  Principles that are becoming more and more rare among the new workforce.  Many of our young people are entering into the workforce with no experience and an unrealistic expectation of what work is. Had they the opportunity to earn a small wage they might even appreciate the work their parents perform in raising feeding and housing them.