Legally mandated reduced working hours for minor actors — varies by age and jurisdiction. On set: tutor required, mandatory breaks, no night shoots.
Minors on set mean rules — not gentle guidelines, but legal requirements you must adhere to if you don't want to run afoul of the authorities. Youth film hours are the core of this regulation: they determine how long a child or adolescent can be in front of the camera per day, how many breaks are mandatory, and under what conditions filming can take place at all. In Germany, the Youth Employment Protection Act (JArbSchG) governs these times — the younger the performer, the stricter the limits. Infants and toddlers (under 3 years old) can work a maximum of 2 hours daily; children between 3 and 6 years old get 3 hours; older children up to 15 years old a maximum of 8 hours daily, with filming times usually needing to be between 6 AM and 9 AM and 5 PM and 8 PM.
Practically, this means on set: You need a recognized tutor on location — no exceptions, no improvisation. This tutor is legally responsible for ensuring that working hours are not exceeded and must enforce breaks, even if the scene is currently running perfectly. Night shoots with children are generally taboo. School hours are not counted (if your child actor still has to go to school in the morning, your shoot simply gets extended), and there must be at least 12 hours between individual shooting days. Many productions underestimate this requirement — and then you're on set with a fully made-up, costumed child actor, but you're not allowed to shoot because the 3-hour limit has been reached.
Internationally, regulation varies considerably. The USA has different state-by-state rules, often less restrictive than Germany. In France or Scandinavia, the limits can differ. Therefore, for international co-productions, you must research the laws of the filming country — when in doubt, the stricter regulations apply. Another point: Many productions use legal doubles or CGI doubles for elaborate scenes to save the real child's working hours while preserving the actor's performance. This is not circumventing the rules, but professional planning. Good AD teams factor youth film hours in like equipment costs — not at the end, but in the pitch. Anyone who ignores this loses time, money, and possibly the filming permit.