More states enacting laws to allow younger teens to serve alcohol, report finds

More and more states are quietly allowing underage workers to serve alcoholic beverages in bars and restaurants, a new report from the Economic Policy Institute shows.

The nonpartisan think tank found that since 2021, seven states — Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, New Mexico and Iowa — have relaxed legislation to allow teenagers, as young as 16 in some cases, serve alcohol. Its something the report says can be dangerous for younger workers.

"While lowering the age to serve alcohol may sound benign, it is not," the report, published Thursday, said. "It puts young people at risk of sexual harassment, underage drinking, and other harms."