At this very moment, in a number of convenience stores scattered across Japan, autonomous robots can be found quietly and efficiently restocking shelves—a task that, until recently, was carried out by human employees. This development represents not only Japan’s continued commitment to technological experimentation but also a preview of what may soon unfold in American retail. Although the United States has yet to adopt this capability on a large scale, it is difficult to imagine that major domestic chains such as 7-Eleven or Walmart will resist exploring these systems for long. Walmart’s earlier foray into robotics—its 2020 program involving shelf-scanning robots—was ultimately discontinued. However, in the years since, progress in artificial intelligence, computer vision, and machine learning has been nothing short of extraordinary. The dramatic improvement in these fields suggests that it is only a matter of time before American shoppers casually observe a robot, rather than a high school student earning some weekend cash, replenishing the breakfast cereal aisle with family-sized boxes of Fruity Pebbles.
The broader context is troubling. Employment opportunities for teenagers have dwindled across the board. Many adolescents, confronted with a job market offering fewer accessible options, have opted out altogether. The statistics tell a revealing story: in August 2000, more than half—52.3 percent—of Americans aged sixteen to nineteen were active participants in the labor force. By contrast, projections for August 2025 place that figure at a starkly lower 34.8 percent. The reasons behind this decline are abundant and interconnected, largely revolving around the proliferation of technology that automates once-human roles. Regardless of the underlying causes, the consequences are unmistakably negative for society at large.
The most immediate concern is that the benefits of automation are unevenly distributed. When a burger is flipped by a robotic arm instead of a teenager, few truly gain—aside from the investors and corporate stakeholders behind companies with names like RoboBurgers.AI. As economist Harry J. Holzer of the Brookings Institution has explained, the rise of automation essentially transfers money from the pockets of workers to those of business owners, who enjoy higher profits while shedding much of their need for labor. For consumers, the end product delivered through automation is rarely any cheaper, faster, or better in quality than what a seventeen-year-old employee might provide. In fact, reliance on such systems introduces new points of failure: if an AI-controlled machine depends on cloud infrastructure and services like AWS, something as simple as a temporary outage could halt operations entirely, leaving customers empty-handed.
These technological substitutions are not merely an abstract market shift—they have tangible consequences for young people and the communities that once depended on their economic participation. Entry-level positions such as stocking shelves, flipping burgers, or scooping ice cream have historically served as a crucial initiation into adult life. They allowed teenagers to gain a measure of independence, learn practical financial skills, and develop interpersonal abilities that form a foundation for future employment. Without these early experiences, the transition into adulthood becomes more abrupt and difficult. Managing time, dealing with supervisors, and understanding the basic rhythms of professional life are all competencies best acquired early. Those who skip this foundational stage may later find themselves ill-prepared to navigate higher-stakes environments.
Furthermore, research by MIT economist Daron Acemoglu sheds additional light on the broader issue. Contrary to the optimistic narrative often associated with technological advancement, Acemoglu argues that automation does not always produce significant gains in overall productivity. Instead, it frequently displaces low-skill employees while increasing income inequality, funneling wealth toward owners of capital. Entire sectors once considered stable—such as manufacturing and warehousing—have already been transformed, forcing adults who lost those positions to seek employment in industries traditionally dominated by younger workers, including retail, food delivery, and even the nearly bygone tradition of paper routes. As a result, the demographics of these jobs have shifted dramatically. The average age of a retail worker in the United States reached 38.7 years in 2024. Even clothing retail, which historically skewed toward younger workers, saw that number climb from 29.3 years in 2015 to 33 by 2024.
The pressures on the workforce extend even further. Stagnant wages and soaring costs of living have compelled many adults to take on side hustles such as delivering food simply to make ends meet. Yet automation is now encroaching on this sphere as well. Companies like Uber Eats and DoorDash have already begun experimenting with self-driving delivery robots capable of transporting meals directly to customers’ doors. This development follows a previous transition in which teenagers were often blocked from such gigs because app-based platforms required drivers to be at least twenty-one years old in some states. The introduction of autonomous delivery systems thus represents not just a continuation of automation but a narrowing of opportunities at virtually every level of entry employment.
While some may celebrate these technological achievements as the triumph of efficiency and innovation, skepticism is warranted. The promise of a self-driving cooler rolling up to your gate, supposedly to deliver sushi or a fresh salad, offers no genuine improvement over the current human-driven system. Instead, it introduces unnecessary complexity and potential risk: what happens if the robot malfunctions, loses connectivity, or simply fails to find your address? At least with a human driver—say, one navigating a slightly dented 2012 Prius—you can rely on common sense and adaptability rather than firmware updates and unpredictable mobile reception.
The elimination of human labor from simple, unglamorous jobs has deeper cultural ramifications as well. Roles such as bagging groceries, taking customer orders, or refilling inventory shelves might appear mundane, but they have always carried intrinsic value. For generations, these positions provided young people a first encounter with the structure, accountability, and monetary reward of paid employment. Today, however, the combined influence of automation, online shopping, and digital media consumption has eroded that tradition. As older workers displaced by automation compete for entry-level positions, teenagers find themselves locked out of the very activities that once shaped their development. Many choose withdrawal over frustration, effectively removing themselves from the labor market—a decision that perpetuates the downward cycle.
Ironically, society is now investing vast resources into training robots to perform the very jobs that once taught people how to work. Even tasks like scanning items at checkout or bagging groceries—long seen as the quintessential first job—are being delegated to algorithms and machines. This pattern illuminates a sobering paradox: in our pursuit of convenience and cost-cutting, we are systematically eliminating a pathway that once served as a cornerstone of economic and personal growth for young generations. The conversation about technology’s role in the future of work is not just about efficiency—it is about the preservation of human opportunity.
Sourse: https://www.theverge.com/report/806728/tech-left-teens-fighting-over-scraps-robots-taking-jobs
