These Kid Jobs Were So Bad They Got Banned

Throughout history, children have been subjected to dangerous and exploitative jobs, ranging from hazardous factory work to life-threatening roles in mines and at sea, often due to poverty and societal pressures.

• Children historically faced dangerous jobs like newsboys, pin setters and chimney sweeps.

• Child labor was common in industries such as mining and textiles, leading to injuries and health risks.

• Reforms and technology advancements led to the decline of many exploitative child labor practices.

Historically, children were often forced into dangerous jobs due to their small size and societal conditions, with many facing health risks, injuries, and even death. These roles, spanning from chimney sweeps and rat catchers to miners and matchstick makers, highlight the harsh realities of child labor before reforms and technological advancements addressed these issues.

Newsboys

• 00:00:17 Newsboys, or newsies, typically teens or pre-teens, sold newspapers on street corners, facing long hours, harassment, and traffic dangers. The newsboy strike of 1899 led to some concessions, like not having to pay for unsold papers. Although the job evolved into paperboys delivering subscriptions in the suburbs, challenges like traffic and collecting payments persisted, leading to its decline.

Pin Setter

• 00:01:50 Pin-setters, originally small boys, manually reset bowling pins, crouching behind the alley to quickly stack them up again. This job was dangerous, with the risk of being struck by fast-moving bowling balls, leading to injuries like lost teeth, concussions, or permanent loss of dexterity. The invention of the automatic pin-setter machine in 1941 eventually eliminated the need for pinboys.

Chimney Sweeper

• 00:03:24 Chimney sweepers, often preteen boys, were hired to clean chimneys, preventing smoke from turning fireplaces into health hazards. As apprentices, often orphans, they faced hard, uncomfortable work, getting covered in soot and risking suffocation in narrow chimneys. Breathing in soot also led to a high risk of cancer, and laws in the 19th century eventually ended this child labor practice.

Rat Catcher

• 00:06:29 Rat catchers, including child apprentices, were employed to reduce rat populations and prevent the spread of disease in Victorian England. Children's small hands and size allowed them to grab rats and crawl into tight spaces, but they faced health risks such as bites, scratches, and exposure to diseases. The job faded away with the development of better pest control techniques.

Textile Workers

• 00:11:04 In the textile industry, children were preferred workers due to the precise machinery involved, but they faced numerous dangers, including accidents and injuries from the machines. Mule scavengers, typically small children, crawled under the machinery to collect cotton waste while the machines were running, leading to crushed fingers, hands, or even heads. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, which killed 146 people, led to massive reforms in the industry.