More than half of the 260 workplace fatalities involving children under 18 recorded between 2013 and 2023 are missing critical information about what caused the deaths or which industries the young workers were employed in, according to a Government Accountability Office report released on Tuesday.
The analysis reveals that an average of 24 children under 18 died annually from work-related incidents during the decade studied. The absence of comprehensive data reflects systemic gaps in how federal agencies collect and share information about child labor safety, hampering efforts to identify and prevent future tragedies.
Where are child workers dying?
Among the 109 fatalities where industry information was recorded, agriculture accounted for 75% of deaths. Among the 111 cases with a documented cause of death, transportation incidents were responsible for approximately two-thirds of fatalities. A prior GAO review from 2018 had similarly found that 52% of work-related child fatalities since 2003 occurred in agriculture, and the agency had recommended that the Labor Department strengthen injury data collection and establish outreach targets specifically for agricultural child labor.
Why is critical information missing?
The report attributes data collection failures to inadequate coordination between federal agencies. The Department of Labor's partnerships with other federal agencies to investigate child labor law violations have, according to the GAO, "largely diminished" since January 2025. Multiple data sources have been discontinued or altered, creating incomparable records. A labor department survey and two other federal datasets that previously tracked child labor injuries and illnesses have ended. Additionally, changes made to injury data collection in 2021 mean that current figures cannot be reliably compared with historical records, obscuring whether the problem is worsening or improving.
The 2018 GAO review had noted that while available data suggested work-related injuries among children had declined, the information was incomplete and did not adequately include children in the Labor Department's injury-data study. The current report indicates these gaps have persisted and in some cases widened.
How widespread are child labor violations?
Between fiscal years 2015 and 2025, violations of federal child labor laws increased dramatically. The number of minors employed in violation of child labor statutes rose from 1,012 children in fiscal year 2015 to 5,272 in fiscal year 2025—more than a fivefold increase. During this same period, 59% of child labor law violations involved employers illegally scheduling 14- or 15-year-old workers to work longer hours or later into the evening than federal law permits. Sixty-two percent of all child labor violations occurred in the accommodation and food services industry.
What enforcement challenges exist?
The GAO found that the Labor Department's wage and hour division "has not fully addressed" the obstacles it faces in enforcing child labor laws. Since January 2025, federal agency collaboration on activities designed to prevent and detect child labor violations has "largely diminished," according to the report. This breakdown in coordination comes at a time when violations are accelerating, leaving enforcement efforts fragmented and less effective.
The report was commissioned following a request from Bobby Scott of Virginia, ranking member of the House education and workforce committee, asking the GAO to assess the scope of child labor in the United States, the capacity of government agencies to monitor and enforce child labor laws, and the effectiveness of current prevention efforts.
What are lawmakers saying?
The GAO report shows that the Trump administration's upheaval of federal agencies has harmed children. As a result of the administration's chaos, the federal government's response to child labor lacks coordination, and its enforcement of child labor laws is less effective. Additionally, the cost of slashing budgets at critical research agencies such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has led to real harms. The federal government cannot effectively prevent child labor if it does not have the information it needs to know where children are working, if they are being injured, and where the greatest risks exist.
Scott has introduced legislation called the Protecting Children Act, which aims to improve data collection and usage to strengthen child labor enforcement and prevention efforts.
What is the broader context?
Child labor violations in the United States have risen over the past decade as multiple states have moved to relax child labor laws since 2021. The fivefold surge in documented violations between 2015 and 2025 suggests either that violations are genuinely increasing or that enforcement and detection efforts have improved—a distinction that cannot be clearly made given the data gaps the GAO identified. The report underscores how inadequate information systems prevent policymakers from understanding whether policy changes are contributing to harm or whether existing enforcement mechanisms are simply failing to detect violations.
Key Facts
- Over 50% of 260 child workplace fatalities from 2013–2023 lacked data on cause of death or industry
- Agriculture accounted for 75% of fatalities with reported industry information; transportation incidents caused two-thirds of deaths with documented causes
- Child labor violations increased fivefold from 1,012 in fiscal 2015 to 5,272 in fiscal 2025
- 59% of violations involved illegal scheduling of 14- or 15-year-olds; 62% occurred in accommodation and food services
- Federal agency coordination on child labor prevention has "largely diminished" since January 2025
