By Trista Bowser
Broadcast version by Mary Schuermann reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.

Due to the labor shortage in Ohio, many companies are employing teens who are looking to get into the workforce to keep their business going. An Ohio bill is being created to allow these teens to work later hours throughout the school year.

Mike Todd, 53, has been an owner of two Dairy Queens in Ohio for the past 24 years, one of which is located in Pickerington. Recently, he has noticed that many of the worker applicants are under 16 years of age.

"I'd say at least 60% to 65% of my employees are of high school age," Todd said.

Currently, 14 and 15-year-old workers are unable to work past 7 p.m. and can only work three hours in a day for only 18 hours in a week due to state and federal laws. In the summer when school isn't in session, teens are allowed to work until 9 p.m.

"Traditionally, most quick-service restaurants, and probably most sit-down restaurants as well, their peak hours are after 7 p.m.," Todd said. "The people who are under the age of 16, they provide a very vital role for us, to kind of fill in the gaps before the nighttime rush begins."

State Sen. Tim Schaffer proposed changing these rules in Senate Bill 251, which would allow minors to work with more flexibility.

Schaffer, 59, who represents the 20th District in the Ohio State Senate, heard about Todd's situation and immediately wanted to help find a solution.

Senator Schaffer was pulled aside by the executive director of the Pickerington Chamber of Commerce and asked if he had heard about Mike Todd's issue. "Everybody's hearing all about the struggle to get good workers in their businesses," said Schaffer. "That's not a secret. Everybody is struggling with that, but nobody has really said anything about expanding the hours that teenagers could work."

Senate Bill 251 would allow teens to work until 9 p.m. both in the summer and the school year, but it would still limit them to three hours per day on school days and 18 hours per week.

"I'd emphasize the guard rails that are already in the law that we're not changing, which is that they can't work more than three hours on a school day... and they can't work more than 18 hours a week during school session," Schaffer said.

Brandon Janis, 25, is one of the owners of Gino's Pizzeria in Medina.

At Gino's, around 50% of their employees are still in high school.

"We definitely try to target sophomores and juniors, that way they know they have a job all through high school and if they end up going to college, they can stay with us to deliver," said Janis.

But Janis said it can be difficult at times to schedule these students while meeting the needs of their education, extracurricular activities and the amount of hours that they are legally able to work.

"It's pretty hard to juggle when they can leave and what days they can actually work, because obviously everybody has different schedules. If they have some sports that they're playing, we have to work around that. It's definitely challenging," Janis said, though "I'm not saying it's impossible because we've been doing it for the last five years."

Eve Nevar, 18, a senior at Agape Christian Academy, works at a pizza shop and does some landscaping. It can be difficult to balance school, extracurricular activities, and work as she is busy with basketball along with taking college credit classes.

"It's kind of a struggle. I think it's beneficial because it helps me learn time management, but I also think it's kind of hard to keep up with sometimes. I have to figure out when I can work but [also] how can I get my paper written," Nevar said.

Nevar believes that S.B. 251 would be beneficial to high school students.

"I think it would definitely be helpful having more flexibility. I think that would help a lot," Nevar said "High schoolers want to work, but it's hard to be able to when you also want to do extracurriculars."

The Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee is currently reviewing the bill. It is co-sponsored by two Republicans, Schaffer and Steve Wilson, and two Democrats, Tina Maharath and Kenny Yuko.

The outcome of Ohio Senate Bill 251 might hinge on federal action, though. The federal government still limits the hours teenagers can work.

The Ohio Senate has requested the same changes in the Fair Labor Standards Act that Ohio Senate Bill 251 proposes. That measure is now on its way to the Ohio House of Representatives.

"Getting anything through Congress, no matter how noble the cause, always takes longer," explained Schaffer via email.

"The bottom line is, we want people who want to work, and the majority of applications that we have received at our business show us that these young people want to work, they want the job, and they want the experience of having their own money and having their own set of responsibilities," said Todd.

This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.


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Incarcerated young people in Washington state can spend a longer time in detention if they do not have a place to go upon release.

Some of the reasons for longer stays for people under the age of 18 include youth who are experiencing homelessness or are in between homeless shelters.

Sara Zier, director of legal services for TeamChild, a Washington state based advocacy group for youth involved with the juvenile justice system, said overstaying in detention is devastating for the youth who experience it.

"They're facing layers of challenges," Zier pointed out. "Not only do they not have a safe place to sleep or to go home to or a family and supportive adults to meet their needs, but then they're held in detention where they're isolated and they don't have a chance of those things either."

Zier noted many barriers exist to ensuring young people have a place to go when they're released. She explained people do not have a right to determine where they reside until they're 18 years old. A U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this year allows cities to pass laws punishing people experiencing homelessness, which could exacerbate the situation for young people in Washington.

Degale Cooper, CEO of YouthCare, an organization working to end youth homelessness in King County, said Black, Indigenous and people of color disproportionately experience homelessness in the county. Cooper acknowledged the city of Seattle and the state have policies in place to end youth homelessness, but funding remains an issue.

"Young people are homeless all over our state," Cooper emphasized. "If we don't have the financial resources to support organizations that can house these young people for either short periods of time or long periods of time, then the policy can't work."

State lawmakers passed a measure that went into effect in 2021 stating, "Any unaccompanied youth discharged from a publicly funded system of care will be discharged into safe and stable housing." However, the state has yet to achieve it. Zier stressed it is important to solve the issue of unaccompanied youth held in detention even though population-wise, it is a small number of people.

"From an equity perspective it's really important that our state stick to commitments we've made to house young people," Zier contended. "And also to give young people who are detained for offenses opportunities to engage in treatment, instead of being held in detention where their needs aren't met."

TeamChild offered some recommendations for addressing the issue of youth who are stuck in detention. It said the state should allow faster access to court for young people in detention and adjust the legal emancipation and minor guardianships to better serve people under age 18.

Young people in Pueblo can now avoid serious and long-lasting consequences when they are unable to pay fines or fees.

Chanell Hasty, program manager with the National League of Cities - which created the Cities Addressing Fines and Fees, or CAFFE program - said when young people cannot pay a fee, it goes into collections. That can make it much harder for them to become financially independent, contributing members of the community.

"Jobs today, they require that you have decent credit scores to get a job, so they may not be able to get a job. They may not be able to get housing because of a damaged credit score," she said. "It's just a negative economic spiral for this young person."

Unpaid fines and fees can quickly snowball, leading to increased fines, driver's license suspensions or even jail time. Through CAFFE, people can sign up for Pueblo's Financial Empowerment Center, get one-on-one financial literacy tutoring, get their court fines or fees reduced, and pay them off through community service. Pueblo is one of 14 cities selected to participate in the program, which is also open to adults.

A similar program run by the San Francisco Financial Justice Project, called AFTER, helps juvenile crime victims secure restitution costs. Struggling families are often left on the hook for these costs, which can push the entire family deeper into poverty. Without this program, Hasty said victims who have real medical bills to pay may never get the money they need.

"So a program like this allows for the victim to actually get financial restitution to pay whatever bills that result from the crime," she continued.

Researchers found that crime survivors generally receive little, if any, restitution.

One year after restitution was ordered, only 2% was paid, and more than 90% remained unpaid after five years. Municipal fines and fees also disproportionately burden low-income residents, especially residents of color.


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Indiana's youth are facing a growing mental health crisis, and officials say urgent action is needed. Nearly half of high school students in the state report experiencing depression, and suicide attempts among youth continue to increase.

Tami Silverman, president and CEO of Indiana Youth Institute highlights the struggles teens face in silence, as well as the challenges families encounter in accessing the necessary support and resources.

"Nearly half - 47% - of the students reported experiencing depression within the last year. And so, that's been pretty consistent over the past couple years, but still that's a tremendous number," she said.

In 2023, nearly one in four students planned suicide, and more than 15% attempted it. Female and LGBTQ+ students report higher rates of mental health challenges compared to their peers, reflecting significant disparities.

Barriers to accessing care worsen the situation, with two-thirds of Indiana youth who experience major depression not receiving treatment. The shortage of mental health providers across the state further limits access. Silverman called on schools and community organizations to play a pivotal role by training staff to identify mental health issues early and implementing peer mentorship programs.

"For young people dealing with stress, anxiety, depression recognizing and embracing those glimmers - those positive moments - can help provide even brief respite from some of their stress or anxiety," she continued.

Silverman also emphasized the importance of promoting mental health literacy to reduce stigma and improve access to care. By addressing challenges, Indiana can create an environment where all youth receive the support they need to thrive," she said.


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