People commonly see no problem with kids who don't have a job and are encouraged to dabble in sports until they are eighteen years old. Mothers fret about safety or social problems. Fathers might be concerned with legal questions or control. Children sense a reason to fear the unknown. Children also like to play, sometimes past their bedtime or past their childhood.
Potential employers are even more apprehensive.
Previous generations never had such an acute problem. The family farm, coal furnaces, hand pumps and a biblical work-ethic provided the endless demands and genuine toil that urge children on to maturity and tutor them to welcome responsibility. This and future generations will need to find ways to again provide this essential work challenge. When children are able to do useful work they quickly develop a healthy pride in themselves. This social ingredient is sadly missing and fruitlessly pursued by the modern statist curriculum.