I even tried to get the work permit for people 14/15 years old when I was in high school (turned out to be too much of a hassle and the restrictions were very tight plus I couldn't drive so I dropped it).
It gave me something to do, I met a bunch of new people and genuinely didn't worry too much about it. I loved it and I loved having extra spending money to go out with friends (don't like to mooch off parents). I'd mow neighbor's lawns since I was 13/14 which gave me a lot of freedom to spend at a younger age and I wanted something more consistent than once a week.
When my sport wasn't in season, it'd be pretty boring most of the time. I'd have time after work to finish my 0-3hrs of homework and game with the boys until 10.
Say what you want, “child labor” “no representation” (voting), I didn't care. I could go out and do more fun stuff with friends like amusement parks, movies, dinners, games/PC and upgrades, snacks, music, phone apps/accessories and eventually silly water/jazz cigarettes.
I liked it, it kept me sane. This was back in 2017, I knew I was “disposable,” they knew they were hiring kids, we had a lot of freedom to mess around on jobs too. Idk, maybe I just don't fully understand the hate train for high schoolers working. (Looking back, I wouldn't even trust my 18 year old self to vote, much less 16 lol.)