The National Youth Council of Ireland has called for the strict enforcement of laws protecting young people in the workplace during the school holidays.
The president of the council, Ms Jillian Hassett, has written to the Minister of State, Mr Tom Kitt, to ensure the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act is "vigorously" implemented.
"Summer jobs can be very enjoyable experiences," she said in her letter, "but the law must protect [young people] from being exploited".
She said the inexperience of young workers made them vulnerable, which some employers exploited unscrupulously.
The NYCI has made frequent calls on Mr Kitt to enforce the law, including the provision of inspectors to check licensed premises at night. Workers under 16 are not supposed to work after 8 p.m., and those under 18 are not allowed work after 11 p.m.
The Mandate trade union, which represents bar staff, has also called for late-night inspections.
Mr Kitt has indicated that more inspectors will be deployed to enforce existing legislation and the national minimum wage when it is introduced next April.
The NYCI press officer, Mr Eamon Waters, said the problem of monitoring young workers had increased "exponentially" as a result of the boom.
As well as writing to Mr Kitt, the council is advising young people and their parents to ensure that employers have posters on display, as required by the Act, detailing the rights of people under 18 in the workplace.
He said those rights include the right to refuse to work more than 35 hours for under-16s, or more than 40 hours for under-18s. Young people are also entitled to two days off a week, a 30-minute break after four hours and a detailed pay slip.