According to the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, "Age discrimination involves treating someone (an applicant or employee) less favorably because of his age."
However, they also state, "The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) only forbids age discrimination against people who are age 40 or older. It does not protect workers under the age of 40..."
While the act was originally passed in 1967, it is time for an update as many high school and college graduates do have real-world work experience and education. However, they are susceptible to unfair judgement due to age discrimination.
Recent studies have also confirmed human resource representatives are less likely to hire employees under 30 or over 50 years of age regardless of skill set.