While child labor is viewed negatively, apparently child labor and child slavery aren’t the same thing, and child labor though it could still be exploitative/cruel in other ways, can be done voluntarily by the child.
I suppose you could make the argument that any child labor opens itself up to problems, but could it be done responsibly, and if not at what age do we draw the line of labor being not ok regardless of consent?
What kind of work do you think these kids are doing? Like are you picturing a 12 year old getting a leg-up on their adult “competition” because they started their career as a literal child?