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Foxconn has defended itself against charges that the company is forcing teenagers to assemble iPhones, saying it's okay to have underage workers put in 12-hour days because they can leave if they want. As proof that it's in the clear, Foxconn points to a "recent" Fair Labor Association audit that found "no evidence that any interns were pressured to participate," the manufacturer explained Foxconn in an e-mail to Bloomberg News. Those "recent" audits -- during which Foxconn was on its best behavior, some argue -- happened back in March. Not only does that not say anything about the current situation, but also, that explanation doesn't account for everything going on.

The student complaints allege that officials had classes suspended and then bussed them over to Foxconn to work on the upcoming iPhone, interns told Shanghai Daily. Since then, they have worked 12-hour days, six days a week, for $243.97, say some students. "MengniuIQ84 wrote [on Weibo] that the authorities had ordered the schools to send students to assist Foxconn but said that the factory neither informed parents nor signed agreements with students," according to the Shanghai Daily. One parent told China Daily she doesn't understand why her daughter, who is studying preschool education, would have an internship at the factory during the school year. "I don't mind if my daughter finds a part-time job during the summer vacation," Wang Yang said. "But spending school hours on such nonsense is a waste of time."