What is wrong with learning to be safe, responsible, and learning to work? I shudder to think where I would be today if I had spent my teenage years huddled in front of a video game.
If we keep in mind that the work ethic of our grandchildren will determine the level of health care, quality of housing, food, and virtually every other aspect of life we will enjoy (?) in our old age, maybe we would be willing to invest more of our time and effort instilling that work ethic. I don't see this as substantially different from permitting kids of this age to operate farm equipment, and farms here are highly mechanized. They have to be to farm 5000+ acres of wheat.
But farm labor never threatened a union job.
You've nailed the key difference.