Their parents are okay with it!

For a lot of families, that's just how it's always been, and how it's had to be, in order to keep the farm running. Having the kids work in the family business is a sign of poverty, same as sending them to work somewhere else. A lot of them are OK with it; the "I worked on the farm since I was 5 and I turned out OK" theme gets trotted out. Others have reservations but no viable alternatives, so they just don't think about it. Being that poor sucks ass for the whole family.

There's no good solutions that don't involve ending poverty as a whole, and the Epstein class have not given their consent to end poverty.

farmers today are millionaires and characterizations like this help mask this reality as they keep voting for people like trump.

Most of them are, at least in the US. A lot of farmers are genuinely wealthy and live a life of ease. Some of them are land rich, meaning they inherited a land title that's now worth 6-7 figures on paper and little else. Every year, some of the latter are at long last forced to sell their last asset (often below market value) and become regular poor, and the rich farmers (and the financiers) get a little bit richer.

Sometimes it's not a farm, but some other established business outfit, farms are just peculiar because they need a significant chunk of real estate attached to them to be economically sustainable, usually, and the value of the land doesn't depreciate as the rest of the business shrivels.

Hot take. Child labor can be a good thing.

The trick is to not exploit them. But a job, a couple hours a day, can build a whole lot of character and life skills. It feels good to accomplish things with tangible benefits.

I think the problem is that capitalism has no regard for child welfare, hence children in coal mines and meat packing plants. But a few hours after school, once or twice a week, in a job that won't maim spirit or flesh? Hell ya.

One of the most rewarding jobs I had as a teenager was a "waiter" at an old folks home. Get them water, condiments, etc. just generally be around and helpful at meal times. Twas a perfect job for a teenager.

My first job was unloading trucks at a meat storage facility before school, from 4am-6:30am, I was 13, but said I was 16. I got paid cash daily, off the books.