I have been member on this sub for quite some while. And I get that as a grown up (past highschool and working as a life instead of a side gig) you want to have a nice starting wage. The hourly wages I see that are around 13 an hour aren't really top of the list for people that need to pay things like rent, food, debts etc.
I am from The Netherlands and I get that wages are different in the US because of the higher cost of living.
Now my question. I keep seeing posts for teenagers that get a side gig as cashier's, lifeguards, waiters etc. And in these post they constantly complain about 13 an hour is a shit pay. But these jobs usually involve starting jobs for highschoolers, teens etc. These jobs require someone that has to be taught to work in those kind of jobs. I fully agree that if you have a good amount of experience (say 1-2 years) and prove to be able to work without oversight or guidance that you should be paid the same amount as “adults”.
My work experience started as a dishwasher in a kitchen. Dishwashing wasn't hard obviously, but they gave me some minor kitchen tasks as well. I fucked up quite some because I had no clue what to do (first that comes to mind is making prawn crackers and throwing in a handful of prefried stuff, this filled the kitchen with prawn crackers..) Back when I started that job as a 14 year old I got paid a whooping €2,06 pre taxes an hour. I fully agree that this was a ripoff, but after I turned 18 and had a shitload of hospitality experience I also had a nice salary at the other places I worked.
So explain to me what the problem is with getting 13 per hour as a teenager that works a sidegig to get some hustle money to spend while being in school? Do you expect businesses to pay 25 an hour to someone that is 16 and isn't fully experienced in their work?
!! Important note, I am not telling or implying that they shouldn't, I just generally like to know the reasoning behind this !!