A quiet change in New York’s state budget has ended a decades-old exception that allowed kids as young as 11 to deliver newspapers, according to the Associated Press. The revision now bars anyone under 14 from taking on paper routes, aligning the job with updated child labor laws.
Though the tradition of paper boys and girls has largely faded with digital news and early-morning adult deliveries, lawmakers viewed the move as a legal cleanup. Industry leaders say youth carriers are already a thing of the past.
The new rules also include stricter penalties for child labor violations, reflecting broader employment law reforms.
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