What do YOU think of tattoos on under 18?

Question

I am in this industry and am seeing more and more "kids" (under 18) getting tattoos --- what do you think, should it be allowed?

Answer 1

The minimum age has to be set somewhere, and 18 seems to me as good an age as any to have it.

In the UK there isn't even an 'under 16 with parental permission' get-out, the law says you have to be 18. Nevertheless, some younger kids do manage to fool less reputable artists into tattooing them, and I think they're too young to have fully thought it through.

I work with homeless young people (mostly 16-17) and a few of them have tattoos. One young man in particular springs to mind; by the time he was 17 he had large black tribal designs pretty much all over his body - arms, legs, neck, back. He always used to come and show me any new tattoos he'd got done, because he knew I used to work in a tattoo studio. And what I always thought was that he'd regret them later on - not in the standard, boring, "oh, but one day you'll have wrinkles" way, I've got nothing against tattoos; but in the sense that with the amount of ink he already had on him he'd very much limited his options in terms of tattoos he might want to get later on. He literally won't have room, if he goes on as he has been.

I think this is the essence of my problem with under-18s getting tattooed. That they aren't necessarily thinking long term. Again, one of the standard cries against tattoos is "you'll regret it", and this one has a grain of truth; lots of people do regret their tattoos later on. And I think the people who regret them are generally those who didn't think them through properly in the first place. And younger people aren't always the best at thinking things through carefully. (again, I say this from experience at work. A lot of the young people I work with get themselves into bad situations, like losing their accommodation, without really thinking about the consequences, in spite of being warned and told all about them. This is a bit of a generalisation, because many young people are very mature and sensible. But many aren't; they just don't think beyond the moment.)

I know lots of younger people don't want to wait to get their first tattoo, but, frankly, tough! It's an effective cooling-off period - if, when they hit 18, they still want their planned tattoo, great. If, on the other hand, they've changed their minds completely, then they'll be glad of having waited. If something's worth having, it's worth waiting for. There are some younger people who are mature enough to make the decision to have a tattoo, but there are lots who aren't, and for their benefit the ones who are will just have to wait.

In all honesty I don't know whether even 18 year olds really have the sense to make a wise decision, but again, the bar has to be set somewhere. 18 is the dividing line we set between being a child and being an adult, so that seems as good a place as any.

Plus, there's questions of how the tattoo industry wants to be percieved. Tattoos and tattooing are still something of a fringe area; while growing numbers of people think they're fine, there are still a lot of people outraged by the very idea. Drawing a line and saying "OK, we're here to tattoo adults, we won't work on children" is at least a reassurance that tattoo artists are being responsible. Tattooing people younger than that - even in perfectly legal circumstances - would send a very different message.

Phew! Anyway, those are my thoughts!

Answer 2

I am also in the indusrty and feel that it should be there choice after properly being exlained the facts that are associated with the tattoo. I dont think I want to see a 12 year old running around with a tattoo but 15 and up I feel if they are old enough to work and drive then they should be able to pay for there own tattoo. A parent only refuses due to there opinions it seems they forget it is not there body.

Answer 3

Well yes, but only temporary tattoos.

I don't believe kids underage like myself should get the permanent ones. I think it's very easy to regret it in the future. When I was in Cyprus - there were lots of places where you could get tattoos and or piercings, and many people had them. I felt like I was left out, because even my older sis had 2 tattoos and a piercing. I really wanted one, but told myself no because I was thinking about the future and my older relatives discouraged the thought. :) (I'm happy I didn't get a tattoo! Permanent or temporary lol. I guess I'll stick to stickers if I really want one. :P Not like tattoos are bad - some look amazing! )

I don't think anyone should get a tattoo if they're not 100% sure about it and haven't firmly made up their mind. They must reeeaaally want it, thought about it thoroughly, and or did several researches on what they wanted, otherwise people shouldn't get one.

This is just a kid's opinion anyways. ;) I'm fourteen, so maybe I don't know that much, but I don't think permanent tattoos should be allowed for people under 18, male or female, strong or weak, fat or skinny. Temporary and or stickers maybe, but NOT permanent tattoos or piercings.

Regret is way worst than fear!! I'm a firm believer in that. ;)

P.S I'm glad some of you people cared enough to answer and brought this up. :D I kept on thinking I was alone n_n I mean, despite my older relatives :P I guess I'm not. I'm especially amazed at you MissRavenTattooCare - since you're working in the tattoo industry! :P :D

Answer 4

I think it should be based on each individual, some "kids" are more mature at 15 or 16 than some 20 or 30 yr olds. It is not a decision that should be jumped into. My step-son has wanted one for a few years now, he just turned 15. I have 24 tattoo's and his father has one small one i talked him into getting for me, he doesnt care for them. First we talked to my son, asked him what he wanted, he said a Cross. Then we asked him why, he said to signify his faith in Jesus Christ. We asked him if he had a pic in mind, at first he said no, so we told him to wait till he did, 6mos later he finally found one he liked, we still made him wait a month to make sure. He is a very mature "kid" at 15, been through a lot for his few years. Will he like it when he turns 30, who knows? I sure hope so. We have asked him that he now wait till he turns 18 to decide if he wants to get any more. This one has personal meaning for him, he says he is not interested in getting another at this time. So I would say that there are many factors that should be considered before just signing to let your "kid" get one. I feel that we made the right choice. Now for my 17 yr old, he is not mature enough, I wouldnt take him to get one.

Answer 5

i don't think people under 18 shoulbe getting tattoos, man i could make up my mind on anything at that age, let alone something so important that would be with me for the rest of my life. i don't care if parents are ok with it. that actually says more about the parents then it does the kids. parents should know better than to let their kids get a tattoo when they are young. kids are too idiotic and immature to make such a decision at that age. besides what would you get at that age, a spongebob tattoo?

Answer 6

Absolutely NOT! No tattoos under 18. Once they've left the house it's their body 2 take care of.

Answer 7

I personally don't support tattoo making because of the problem of getting it off, but under 18 i don't think is a good idea at all...

Answer 8

I don't like it.

You change your mind so often at 16 and you don't know what you want. I don't think under any circumstance (Even with a parents permission) is it ok for someone so young to be tattooed.

Answer 9

I don't think it should be allowed because under 18 are still kids and kids are young we shouldn't be destroying our bodies.If you are 18 or older then you could get a tattoo, but until then You should just stay clear. ( BY THE WAY I THINK IT'S ILLEGAL)

Answer 10

for one, the things i was loving back when i was 16, are NOT the things i'm into now at 29. i think that if you are going to put something permanent on your body, the decision shouldn't be made as a teen. i'm 29, and my tat was done 6 years ago. i still love it, and i'm planning on more. tats are great, but they need to be thought out, and meaningful.

ps- everyone! guess what? the devil is using us to destroy the people, at least according to frank/kim. SWEET!

you got to be kidding me!