A child who is 16 or 17 has no restrictions on the number of hours or times of day they may work. Texas' child labor laws apply to all children under the age of 18 working in Texas, whether or not they reside in the state.There are no restrictions on the number of hours or times of day a child age 16 or 17 may work. Work certificates are not required for 16 and 17yearolds. This poster provides some guidelines to the Texas child labor laws, but it is not complete. 16 and 17 year olds that are enrolled in school may not work more than 6 consecutive days or 30 hours per week during the school calendar week. In Texas, older minors—meaning 16- and 17-year-olds—may work as many hours as they'd like. 16 - Basic minimum age for employment. (1) A child who is at least 14 years of age may apply to the Texas Workforce. Commission for a certificate of age.