Child exploitation is the illegal act of using a child in a way that is legally defined as unacceptable. It can be anything that does not allow a child to live in the same way as other children, such as forcing them to work when they are legally underage or subjecting them to sexual exploitation.
Child exploitation is a felony offense in every state in the U.S. The laws vary on an international level, because the definition of child exploitation is not as comprehensive as the laws of the U.S., particularly in relation to the age of a child that is protected by the provision of child exploitation laws.