Teenagers ‘parlour shopping’ for tatts and risking their health by trying to do their own

Victorian teens are parlour shopping for tattoos and resorting to home ink kits if turned away — inspired by influencers and stars.

Victorian teens are parlour shopping for tattoos and resorting to potentially dangerous home ink kits if turned away — inspired by social media influencers and celebrities.

Melbourne skin specialists say they are now seeing kids as young as 14 with permanent tattoos.

A Carlton tattooist said kids regularly came in asking for body art, with many believing underage tatts were legal if they had parental consent.

“Ninety per cent throw [parental consent] in there, trying it out. If businesses say no, they’ll go to the next shop,” she said.

When turned away from one tattoo parlour, many kids went on to try their luck at other parlours while others purchased potentially dangerous DIY tattoo kits online, the parlour owner said.

“Stick and poke tattoos work by inserting ink into their skin. We’ve seen a lot of them doing it with their friends,” she said.

Melbourne-based TikToker and model Maziela Jorneo got her first tatt in her mid-teens, but not in Australia. Picture: Supplied

“It’s very dangerous to be attempting to tattoo in an environment that is not sterile and where they have no experience. They must be buying them online because they won’t ask their age.”

Dermal clinician at MLAC Laser Clinic, Fernanda Subeno, said she had noticed permanent tattoos on kids aged just 14, while providing skin treatments.

In Victoria, it is illegal to tattoo any person under the age of 18.

It is also illegal for body piercers to perform intimate piercings (including nipples, genitalia, anal region and perineum) on people under 18 in Victoria, and illegal to perform non-intimate body piercing on anyone under the age of 16 without parental or guardian consent.

Ms Subeno warned DIY tattooing could cause health complications such as allergic reactions and skin infections due to poor aftercare and hygiene.

“Generally before tattooing, customers would have proper consultation regarding contraindication, their diabetic hereditary background, immune disorders for unknown immunocompromised people, and even tattoo removal education,” she said.

The transmission of bloodborne viruses such as hepatitis B and C viruses, serious bacterial infections, nerve damage and unwanted scarring are also risks of poorly performed tattooing.

Melbourne-based TikToker and model, Maziela Jorneo, 26, said she got her first tattoo at in her mid-teens, but not in Australia.

She also had parental support to do so.

“Everyone in my house has a tattoo, I got inspired by them to get one,” the influencer, who has 698.6K TikTok followers and 32.5K YouTube subscribers, Ms Jorneo said.

All her tattoos carried important symbolism relating to her personality, “strength and power”, or “protection of loved ones”, she explained in a recent YouTube video.

Edwin Lim, owner of Melbourne’s Forgotten Sons Tattooing, said he had noticed the concerning trend of DIY tatts, putting kids in danger of major health problems.

“Young people purchase inks from Amazon, Ebay . . . doing them at home. They are unregulated inks. You don’t need a machine to get a tattoo, you just need a needle and ink,” he said.

Social media influencers may be behind more kids wanting tattoos, at younger ages. Picture: Supplied

“Poking someone without prior training can lead to cross contamination, ink poisoning and other health issues.”

More than 2,000 tattoo kits are available on eBay, ranging from $20 to $490, with most not requiring proof of age to purchase.

Jess Wong, 20, who got her first tattoo as soon as she turned 18, said she’d been desperate to get inked since she was 16, after seeing influencers and celebrities on social media flaunting their tatts.

She was inspired by “social media, Instagram, YouTube, and celebrities” to get a tattoo, she said.

“The various styles of tattoos really caught my attention, as well as the aesthetic presentation,” Ms Wong said.

“Especially the confidence that comes with getting a piece of beautiful art you can show off on your skin.”

Debate around children getting tattoos follows the arrest of a New York mother last month after her 10-year-old son presented to a school nurse seeking Vaseline to apply to his new tattoo.

Australia is believed to be the fourth most tattooed nation in the world, behind Italy, Sweden and the United States.

According to tattoo removal clinic Disappear Ink, polling reveals 32 per cent of Australians aged 14-29 have tattoos and 30 per cent aged 30-49.

Surveys also show as many young Australian women as men - and possibly more - have been inked.

Originally published as Teenagers ‘parlour shopping’ for tatts and risking their health by trying to do their own