The Risks Associated With Tattoos That Parents Of Adolescents Should Know
By Sidra Lackey
After a New York mother was recently arrested after her ten-year-old son got tattooed (the tattoo artist was later arrested as well), talk of the minimum age for tattoos has been highlighted. In New York, it is prohibited for a child under the age of 18 to get tattooed. But for a surprising amount of other states, that is not the case.
States that simply require parental consent for an adolescent to get tattooed are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas (tattooing is allowed only for covering up an existing tattoo), Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. This is according to a 2017 clinical report, “Adolescent and Young Adult Tattooing, Piercing, and Scarification” by Cora C. Breuner MD of The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), presented in a chart called: “The Body Piercing and Tattooing of Minors: Consent and Physical Presence Requirements by State.”
National Review reports that the New York case mentioned above is “not unique” and according to the New York Times, the states Ohio and West Virginia have no minimum age for getting a tattoo. It is a situation that Dr. Cora Bruener, a pediatrician and professor at the University of Washington Medical Center’s Seattle Children’s Hospital, and author of guidance on tattoos for pediatricians, issued by the American Academy of Pediatric Medicine, “finds troubling.” “It is a permanent mark or a symbol you are putting on your body, and I don’t think kids under 18 have that kind of agency to make a decision. We need to look at these laws again,” Dr. Bruener stated.
It wasn’t until Dr. Breuner’s teenage daughter wanted to get her belly button pierced that she became interested in the safety of tattoos and piercings for adolescents, MDedge Pediatric News reported in, “Adolescents should know risks of tattoos and piercings.” Dr. Breuner said, “I couldn’t find an article summarizing complication rates or just about the legality of it or other issues around tattooing and piercing.” So Dr. Breuner and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Adolescent Health wrote one.
Dr. Breuner recommends that all healthcare workers treating children, “ask their adolescent patients about tattoos and piercings at every health care visit.” In a past presentation at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics Dr. Breuner focused on knowing the legal age of consent for body modifications and what to watch for in terms of complications. Dr. Breuner also recommended doctors going out and visiting tattoo shops. “Tattoo artists generally are the most knowledgeable people in the community about the risks of their industry and often welcome local physicians who want to learn and see their equipment,” Dr. Breuner said.
In “Talk with teens about possible regret before they get tattoos, piercings” by The American Academy of Pediatrics, AAP urges parents to, “talk with their curious teens about the long-term effects of tattoos.” AAP points out how body modifications, “used to be linked to risky practices like using drugs or alcohol, violence, eating disorders and sexual activity. But the science has changed. These behaviors are no longer closely linked.” Even though tattoos are common and more accepted among teens and young adults teens still should think about, “the pros, cons and future before they ink. Tattoos might affect the way others treat your teen at school, job interviews and work. Relationships, social status and aesthetic tastes may change,” AAP warns. “Adolescents may overestimate the effectiveness of tattoo removal when having one placed and should be instructed that tattoo placement is permanent and that it is expensive and sometimes difficult to remove them,” AAP says.
If you’re a parent with a teenager who wants a tattoo AAP says to consider the following:
the legal age in your state and whether you need to give permission
whether the tattoo can be covered up easily when wearing work clothes
what the teen will do if the tattoo fades
if the teen is female: what will she do if the tattoo becomes lopsided if her body changes and how the tattoo or piercing will change during pregnancy and breastfeeding
AAP makes sure to advise: go to a professional tattoo artist. The shop should be licensed. Before the procedure, check your teen’s vaccine status. After, watch for signs of infection or allergic reactions.Visit HealthyChildren.org, the AAP website for parents, for care tips and signs of infection and allergies for tattoos: here
Also for parents who have adolescents who are thinking of future tattoos, read Dr. Cora Breuner’s informative report: “Adolescent and Young Adult Tattooing, Piercing, and Scarification” for the American Academy of Pediatrics: here Also check out a shortened video version of the report by AAP.