Too Young to Work?

Why do American teenagers work while Italians wait?

Summer of 2026 has just finished, and I am back at school in Montepulciano Tuscany catching up with my Italian friends. Ever since I was a baby I have spent 1-2 months in America during the summer to visit my American family (my grandmother and aunt and cousins on my mother’s side) in Maryland.  

For the last three summers I have worked as a counselor at a summer camp for kids aged 5 to 12. When I was younger, I attended the camp and when I “aged-out” at age 13 the camp director said that she thought I was very responsible and would be welcome to come back and work at aged 14. The job is not always easy, but the kids are great and it has been fun to see some of the same families every year for the last three years. And, I have appreciated learning what it is like to work for someone, taking on new responsibilities each summer and I have appreciated the opportunity to earn some money.

I have wondered however, why is it that all the teenagers I know in America all seem to have various summer jobs – working to bus tables at restaurants, lifeguarding, working at ice-cream shops, working as a nanny or babysitter for kids or pets, yardwork, car washes, or working at camps such as I do – yet none of my Italian friends or colleagues of my age have summer jobs. In talking to my parents about this, we all assumed that the system in Italy just does not allow kids to work in the same way it is allowed in America, so I decided to explore if this is true.

My first investigation is considering the actual law and policy in each country, however I found that this does not completely explain what I have seen in my own experience.

Employment Law for Youth in the United States and Italy:

United States (source US Department of Labor)

• The law varies by state, but generally for non-agricultural jobs the minimum age is 14. There are rules around hours of work by age, the ability to work has strict restrictions.
• Many industries such as retail, food service, and summer services (pool, beach, camps etc.) are welcome to non-permanent youth employees

Italy (source Italian Ministry of Labor)

• The age for work is generally 16 but subject to completion of 10 years of school
• Under 18 protections are in place and restrictions
• School-based work, apprenticeships, and vocational work are very common although often unpaid, but do allow for work experience before 18 as part of educational training
• Work by teenagers 16-18 often falls with small family businesses, seasonal tourism or agriculture.

Based on this, clearly American teens aged 14 and 15 have more ability to work summer jobs than Italian teens. However, the law does not fully explain the difference I see between the two countries in my universe of friends and family. 

So, the question remains, if Italian teenagers can work from aged 16 and older, why don’t they?

In future blog posts I would like to explore the following hypothesis:

1. Do Americans and Italians view the time before high school graduation differently? Perhaps Italians view the years before graduation and time to focus on academics while Americans view the time before college as time to mature generally. I can see how this may be the case as in my experience the workload from school is much heavier than what I see from my American friends and family. And in the Italian system there is a lot of work and reading to be completed even in summer months. Extracurriculars are not mandated in Italy. The extracurriculars offered by the school are all related to academics, and this year I must complete 90 extra hours of extracurricular labs doing projects such as participation in national mathematics competitions and developing a project for my Latin study. School is considered the number one top priority for Italians, and the high school system even goes one extra full year in which is spent reviewing all that has been learned for a very intense exam that is the basis of graduation grades.

In contrast, in America there is strong encouragement for extracurricular activities and many opportunities to participate such as in sports and general interest clubs. There is no homework over the summer, and kids are encouraged to find summer jobs. So, academics are balanced with these other activities.

• Is the family support, or spending on teenagers different when comparing the two countries?  Are American teens told they need to earn money if they want to go out with friends or buy something, while Italian kids are not expected to do so?  This is a question of family culture and independence and an interesting question to explore through surveying people I know.
• Do employers view working with teenagers as positive for society and development and do employers generally find it easy or cumbersome to hire teens? This could attribute some of the differences to lack of opportunity for work.  This question can be explored by speaking to small business owners.