Do you think tattoos on teens should be prohibited?

[MOB Karen]

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/3/3_2_123v.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxdm824YYUS)
Should tattoos be taboo?

Tattoos are popular among teenagers, but increasingly illegal.
http://www.usaweekend.com/97_issues/970504/images/970504tattoo.jpg Nadeah Johnson, 17, of Alexandria, Va.:"I got my tattoo, basically, because it is cool. My dad took me [to the tattoo parlor]. Mom thought it was cute."

Forget the kangaroo snow globe. Nicole Bennett has a permanent souvenir of her trip as student ambassador to Australia and New Zealand: a heart tattooed on her chest. A 10th-grader at Plainview (Minn.) High School, she's 16 now and regrets her moment of succumbing to peer pressure at age 15. "The day after I got it, I remember waking up in the morning and being really sad that I had it. You would think that you could give a 15-year-old a little freedom, especially a student ambassador. But I guess not. I had an hour without supervision and look what I did with it."

Parents concerned about bloodborne disease -- though health officials consider the actual risk minor -- and hard-to-remove alterations to their children's bodies are asking for limits: Already, 22 states either prohibit tattooing or body piercing of minors or require special permission, with new laws this spring in Virginia and Montana. In Oklahoma, tattooing is prohibited, period. At press time, bills to limit tattooing or piercing were pending in Arizona, California, New Jersey, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, New York and Texas. Shylonda Wright, 17 and a 10th-grader at Colby (Kan.) High School, says though her friends have tattoos, she's comfortable with laws banning them for people under 18: "It's for their protection."

[MOB Karen]

Absolutely!!! :grinhappy:

[LizabethDavis]

I think so long as the teen has the parent's permission, then it should be okay. JMO.

[ladymelissa]

This is news to me! In Ohio you have always had to be 18 to get a tattoo or even your ears pierced without parantal consent. I think 18 is a good age, unless your parents are with you.

[Kacie_bride]

In Texas you have to be 18 to get any piercings or a tattoo without parental permission. I think this is a good policy.

[jeni740]

I voted wrong I think they should be prohibited, I got mine young and now want nothing but to have them taken off. I was 17 for the first one and got it because my boyfriend at the time hated them and it was in my teenage mind payback for breaking up with me.

[AllyM1]

I voted no. I think the current laws are fine. If you want a tattoo and you are under 18, then you go to your parent. If your parent says okay, fine. If your parent says no, then you dont get one.

[WebLady]

Out here you have to be 18, regardless of parental consent. I think 18 is a good age. I don't think outlawing things is the answer, there would just be people doing it underground.

I think it better to educate people about tattoos more ... the art, the practice, the risks, the permanency and all that goes along with it. Help kids make better, more thought out choices.

[Valmai]

It's 16 over here but you become an adult in the eyes of the law at 18 here! I dont agree with the age being 16 i dont think that someone of that age understand the term 'for the rest of your life'!! xx

[BriansBride07]

Where I live you have to be 18 unless you have parental permission. I think that if if its ok with the parents then go for it

[hummingbird521]

I think you should be at least the age of 18 or older before getting one.

[SerendipityCrafts]

The age is 16 here but from what I have heard, no one bothers to card the kids anyhow.

18 is young enough! I believe that kids should be at least 18 to be pierced too. I was shocked when I found out that my daughter had her tongue pierced without our consent.

She's 18 and talking about getting a tatoo now. No matter, I still don't approve.

[70707Bride]

I'm undecided. I think its the parents job to let them decide whether or not they can get one after they are 18. I don't think they should influence it when you're a teen. What about all the piercings and stretching of the ear lobes? When you're out looking for a career, that will affect who will hire you.

[70707Bride]

In Iowa, you have to be 18 to get tats and piercings without parental consent. I got my ears pierced at 16, then double pierced at 18. But I told my mom that when I turned 18, I was getting them double pierced whether she wanted me to or not. She didn't want me to, but I did and she was there with me. I'm pretty sure its 18 for piercings.

[Jenn060306]

I said no. Here you have to be 18 to get one. If you're younger then that you need parental consent. I belive it is up to the person to make those choices for themselves. If someone is going to get a tatoo on a whim and then later decides they don't like it anymore that's their problem. They made that choice or their parent allowed for them to make that choice. They will have to live with it or pay to have it removed.
I do feel that there should be more strict checking of i.d. and such. Here if they think you are under 30 they will check your i.d. when you buy alcohol. It should be the same for tatoo's IMO.