Underage interns were found working in China's Foxconn factories Tuesday, news sources report.
The underage interns, aging as young as 14-years-old, were found during a company investigation at a factory in the city of Yantai. The legal working age in China is 16-years-old. The children were sent back to school, Denver Post reported.
Foxconn carries a short-term internship program with numerous vocational schools and education programs throughout China. State media reports that the programs and tabs for students is in reaction to the shortages of labor in Foxconn plants. Thousands of students fall victim, Mercury News reported.
Regional editor at China's Economist Intelligence Unit, Duncan Innes-Ker, informed BBC News that for several years the regulation of underage employment has been "a grey area." Companies have lowered standards to include individuals with little skill in order to fill shortages. The number of underage interns is unknown, Global Post reported.
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