what age...

And what if you can con an older person into taking you to get one??? I never got a piercing or tat when I was underage, so I dont' know, but I did know one girl who conned one of the ladies at work to take her to get her tongue pierced...I'm not sure how it works in michigan cuz that was in Tennessee.

 

i dont know how that is possible... but again some places would pierce or tat anyone for money..

 

Do they compare last names or addresses or something???

 

i would assume so...
i would assume that you have to show proper identifaction...imo...
but i dont know, im not saying what they do, but that would just seem like something they would do cause anyone can say that they are someones parent..

 

Yeah I'm not sure either, because some 16 year olds don't have driver's licenses yet, so if someone takes them in to get them pierced or tatted they can't really compare...hmmm...interesting.

 

yeah, i was just thinking that....

I guess maybe a form of id or something...who knows though cause what if you dont have any...haha well, huh, now im curious to know how that works out

 

I think whatever age they are able to handle the reponsibility of getting and having one. Whether that be 12 or 20, as long as they can take care of it its fine by me.

 

The tat place is just covering their own asses by asking for a 'parent' to sign. That way, if the kid gets in some trouble over their ink, the blame falls back onto the 'parent' whose ID they have filed as giving consent.

 

Eh, 12 year old getting tats? yeah, thats not a bad idea... .

 

Yeah when my mom took me to get my first tat covered up I was 16 and the guy took both our IDs. Some places wouldn't even do with parental consent....you HAD to be atleast 18.

 

_Being 18 doesn't necessarily translates into maturity.

If I had a kid & he/she came to me wanting a tattoo/piercing & he/she was under 18 [but over 16] I would say: 'Let's wait /insert period of time. If you still want it then, I would sign for the authorization'.

I pierced my left ear -all my 9 piercings- between the ages of 14 & 17 and I don't regret them & although I understand the reason why tattoos should be more carefully thought about, if my kid come to me when they are 16+ & wait the probation period of time I don't see any reason why I should say no.

 

I got mine at 14 and I don't regret it. I think it depends on maturity of the person. To me age doesn't decide that completely. I've known some really mature 15 year olds and some really immature 30 year olds. Parents should know thier kids well enough to know if they can understand and handle a tattoo. Understand it's there forever and shouldn't be done to be trendy, cool, rebelish, etc. And if they would take care of it. And like _androidette said you can always have a waiting period. If it's just a "phase" or whatever the kid is going threw it'll pass after awhile. Plus, it'll give them time to really think about if they want it or not.

 

I think you should have to be 21 to get a tattoo. They are permanent.

 

IMHO...why the huge need to rush to have things done, especially when its a decision that will last a lifetime. If you have done it all, what new territory does that leave when you are finally at the age of consent? And contrary to popular belief, most people will change their minds at least to a degree. Think of any time you have to wait as an opportunity to tweak it a bit more to what your exact dream of it is/will be.

Voet, at least you can actually speak/write in two languages. What french I remember is so bad, you wouldn't want me to even try,lol!!

 

I'm 17 and I've wanted a tattoo for a couple of years, however, I'm waiting till my 18th, when its legal so that I can go to a proper tattoist and get it done without getting kicked out for having no ID. Otherwise I'd end up going to some back-street place and maybe getting it done wrong, or an infection or something. So I'd say anything under the legal age is too young.

 

eh, i think any age can get a tattoo. but, im not trying to be unfair, it's just that kids sometimes want alot of things, and if they see tatooing as "cool" because their idols good charolte have them, they might regret it later. probably 12, over 12 is fine to me

 

ive had "the doors" tattooed on me since i was 13, im basically 16 now and i wouldnt change it. thinking back now it wasnt the best decision at the time but its something that i am very fond of and will appriciate for the rest of my life. i think that when a person feels that they are mature enough and they have the right mentality to know that its permanent then they should be able to get one.

 

huh, well, i don't think i'm gonna let my boys get any tattoos before they are almost finished with their education, whether it be college or trade school. i think i want them to be at least facing in the direction their life is going in first. i agree with androidette, they will need to have an idea for a while before they get put it on, not just an impulse decision - anything you really want you'll still want six months to a year from now. of course my hubby (maybe me) will do the actual inkin, they both know already that we'll do that for them - i don't want them stuck with crappy work or something they will mature out of...

 

well in all professional shops u have to be 18...and theres a reason...by law under 18 you are not an adult...and a permanant decision by law has to be made by a consenting adult...piercings u can be 16 and over only cuz it is not a permanant thing...i think also that people under 18 dont have a set sense of responsibility yet either and they need to have it in order to get something they will not regret and also to take care of it