Tattoo Laws for Minors: Know the Risks

This site gets quite a few visitors looking for information on tattooing minors. If you want to see the laws on whether a minor can get a tattoo, a chart listing the legal tattoo ages for minors in the U.S. is provided in the article titled U.S. Tattoo Laws for Minors.

Several people have asked what to do if they actually find a tattoo shop or tattoo artist that will give them a tattoo, even though they’re underage according to their state laws. The answer is simple: no reputable tattoo shop will break the law in order to give a minor a tattoo. Doing this puts them at risk for losing their business license. Additionally, the tattoo artist that does this could face possible legal action taken by the parents of the minor.

If you find a tattoo artist that’s willing to tattoo a minor, ask yourself these questions:

• who will you turn to if you develop an infection as the result of getting an illegal tattoo?
• are you willing to risk serious health risks (i.e., blood-bourne diseases like Hepatitis B, HIV)?
• how do you know if the person properly sterilizes the multi-use instruments? The proper way is to use an autoclave.
• how can you ensure that the person doesn’t use inks that have been used on someone else?
• is the work area sanitized with disinfectant products?
• does the person take precautions to avoid cross-contamination of instruments and supplies?

Bottom line: if you’re under the legal age to get a tattoo simply wait until you’re of age. It’s not worth the health risk and the lasting damage that could be done to your body.

See also:

Think Before Getting Those Tattoos