if youre under 18, you have to get a work permit to legally work in the united states. at my last job, there was a 15 year old girl who somehow convinced my boss to hire her, but there was a lot more sketchy stuff going on there. basically, you have to lie to the school, your employer, and the us government if you want to work before youre 16 (at least in california). the last one is usually a federal offense if you get caught.