Under Employment Harmful to Children, the term 'child' is defined as younger than what age?

• A. Younger than 21
• B. Younger than 18
• C. Younger than 16
• D. 21 or older

Answer: (A)

The target concept is the age definition the statute uses for who counts as a child. In this offense, a child is defined as someone younger than 21. That means individuals under 21 are considered children for the purposes of the crime, and the law can apply when a person is employed in a manner harmful to their health or safety. A 21-year-old or older is treated as an adult here, so the offense wouldn’t apply to them simply based on age.

For example, a 19-year-old working in hazardous conditions could trigger the offense, while a 22-year-old would not, because they’re not within the defined “child” category. This specific threshold explains why the answer is younger than 21.