Why is it that teens get paid next to nothing for doing the same job someone at the age of, say 23 who gets double the money?

Ok we could say it's the wage scale: The minimum rate set out by the Goverment on what businesses can pay out for staff in various age groups, but I'm afraid that's bollocks...large ones.

Here in the UK some teens are forced to work for less than 3 loaves of bread, 2 tins of beans and 3 pints of milk in some places, and these are teens who want to work, move out and live independantly. But it's the wage scale....

Actually...it's not!
You see, these are the MINIMUM a company has to pay, not maximum. If all companies etc stuck to the minimum, Brain Surgeons would be on £5.80 an hour. It's not fair on those teenagers who want to leave school and start earning a wage. In my opinion this Wage Scale should be abolished and a General Scale brought in at £5.50 overall would be fairer.

This would either see less jobs and make tight fisted companies squirm, or a bigger raise in school leaver employment. Which one would we all like to see?