Rise in Perth parents asking to get their children as young as 12 tattooed to copy favourite celebrities

A Perth tattoo artist has warned about a “disturbing” rise in parents asking to get their underage tweens or teenagers tattooed. Juliana Beatrix, who has worked in the industry for 15 years, said she had seen an increase in requests for children, some as young as 12, who are trying to be like their favourite celebrities. So-called fine-line tattoos, which can appear more delicate than the traditional markings, are popular on social media and have been popularised by stars like Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid. Ms Beatrix said TikTok tattoo trends and a massive spike in beauticians offering tattoo services were behind it. “Since the rise of tattooing entering spaces such as beauty salons, hair salons, markets and even fairs, combined with its popularity on TikTok and Instagram, with nobody regulating it, the tattooing of minors has now become more widespread,” she said. “This year there has been a substantial rise in parents asking for me to tattoo their children, often telling me their little girl is ‘obsessed’ with the new fine line tattoo trends on TikTok, which is a trending area largely run by inexperienced beauticians, not experienced tattoo artists. “Beauticians are not experienced tattoo artists. They have not had an apprenticeship or any art training, but they are offering permanent art tattoo services alongside their eyebrow waxing and makeup because it’s trending, with half their clients being teenage girls. “These results will be on the child’s body for the rest of their life and parents are making this decision for them because a child cannot consent.” Under WA law 16 and 17-year-olds may be tattooed with parental permission but many tattoo studios restrict their service to adults. Tattoo artists in WA do not require a licence but must comply with health regulations around infection control, namely the Health (Skin Penetration Procedures) Regulations 1998 and the Code of Practice for Skin Penetrations Procedures, and have council approval to operate premises. While many professional tattoo artists undertake apprenticeships and years of training it is possible for someone to represent themselves as a “qualified” tattoo artist when they may have only undertaken a short online course. Ms Beatrix said she tattooed 16 and 17-year-olds but only when they had filled out the appropriate forms and received parental sign off. Her concern was that young people were choosing to permanently alter their body in a way they might regret from someone who may lack experience. “A lot of the trending pieces are areas like hands, fingers, backs of arms so they aren’t easy to cover,” she said. It’s the equivalent of giving your kid a bad haircut they’ll have for the rest of their life. “Parents need to understand that this should be no different to smoking or alcohol for kids… the law is the law,” she said. A WA Health spokeswoman said tattooing a minor could be punished with a $12,000 fine and one year of prison time. “It remains the responsibility of any person who performs skin penetration procedures, to ensure they are familiar with infection control requirements and practice safe working procedures,” she said. “Studios offering tattooing services must be registered with, and inspected routinely by the relevant local government.”