Foxconn has already been accused of having poor conditions for its workers
Foxconn, Apple’s main supplier in China, has admitted it employed interns as young as 14 years old.
In a statement, the Taiwan-based manufacturer acknowledged that some students who took part in its summer internship programme were below China’s minimum legal working age of 16.
The company said the interns were employed at its factory in the city of Yantai in eastern China.
Foxconn has previously been accused of poor conditions for its workers.
The firm is best known for producing iPhones and iPads for Apple, but also makes products for other companies, such as Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard.
“We recognise that full responsibility for these violations rests with our company and we have apologised to each of the students for our role in this action,” the electronics manufacturer said in a statement.
“Any Foxconn employee found, through our investigation, to be responsible for these violations will have their employment immediately terminated.”
The company said it ordered an internal investigation after Chinese media reports and a US-based campaign group China Labor Watch had said it was hiring under-age interns.
The firm said it was trying to determine how the interns ended up at the factory.
