Law to require youngsters to have parental consent before body piercing - your thoughts please?

[JustineMumsnet]

Evening all
There is currently a consultation in Wales about changing the law to introduce a statutory minimum age at which young people can get body piercing. This new law would require a parent/guardian to give a letter of consent and/or attend. The Today programme are asking what your thoughts are on this. Would be grateful to hear them.
Thanks.

NOTE FROM WELSH ASSEMBLY MARCH 011

The Minister for Health and Social Services has agreed to consult on whether a statutory minimum age of consent for cosmetic piercings should to be introduced in Wales.

Date of decision:

29th March 2011
Statement of information:

Cosmetic piercing has become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly among younger age groups. There are a number of complications that can arise following a cosmetic piercing procedure including skin infections, tearing of the skin and swelling. Any piercing of the skin, including cosmetic piercing, carries a risk of transmission of blood borne viruses, such as hepatitis. Such risks arise primarily where unclean or non-sterile equipment is used, where unhygienic premises or practices are maintained and/or where aftercare is lacking.

Currently, there is no statutory minimum age of consent for cosmetic piercing in Wales and therefore a young person can themselves consent to a cosmetic piercing. Although many young people make the decision to have a cosmetic piercing in collaboration with their parent or guardian ("parent"), some young people take this decision without their parent's involvement and consent. In some cases this can lead to conflict within the family and/or the young person suffering complications which could have been reduced if a parent had been involved.

The Welsh Assembly Government is seeking views on whether legislation should be introduced which will require the involvement and consent of parents before a cosmetic piercing procedure is performed on a young person below a certain age.

The Minister for Health and Social Services agreed the content of the consultation document so that it is issued for consultation.

Firstly, more effort should be made to shut down the risky, incompetent, dirty piercers. I'd quite like to see piercing prohibited in chainstores as it seems to be performed by the bored, bewildered 15 year old saturday staff half the time...

Secondly, a total ban on ear piercing for under 7s. Fuck cultural reasons, if your culture involves abuse of women and children your culture is shit and deserves to die out anyway. 'Culture' is not a get out of jail card for doing painful and permanently damaging things to other people without their consent.

Finally, if teens want to have themselves pierced and tattooed and all piercing and tattoo parlours are licenced and inspected, then let them get on with it. You do not own your teenager's body. S/he is free to choose to have it pierced/tattooed/impregnated/surgically altered.

how would you know if it was the parent accompanying the minor too?

my 16 yr old dd stayed with my niece recently following some difficulties at home with dh and her, whilst she was there, my niece took dd and autorised her a tattoo!! . after I told dd no, and also told niece I'd said no!

Now she is branded for life with something that she might have not had, if she'd waited until she was 17 as I suggested, (was going for phase and said we'll talk again when you're 17, dn took her anyway, I had no idea)

It's not just the piercing, it's the stretching - and the stretching is a 'do it yourself' thing so how would anyone regulate that?

My son had his ears pierced but only so that he could wear ear stretchers in them, like a lot of his friends. He buys the stretchers off ebay. We have told him he can only go so far, but that's a personal agreement between us and him.

redruby is right about tongue piercings. I had mine done in the 90's and cracked a tooth on it within a few months. In my defence the stud came out straight away.

I really don't like the look of all the piercing / tattoo parlours that spring up everywhere these days. My piercings were done at Into You in London and they were fab with care instructions and after-care information, I know most places wouldn't be that good.

If I was in charge if would be over 12 (senior school age) for ear piercing, over 18 for piercings and over 21 for tattoos / body modification. It's too easy for young people to get inked these days, I know several under 25's who are covered in great tattoos but I can't imagine they will be so thrilled with them in 10 yrs time.

Thanks for your input everyone - very helpful. Got to say one longish sentence in the end.

Interested to see the views on this. I sent e-mail to a local BBC station which covered the same topic and compared piercings with circumcision, because for a child under 2 to have her ears pierced is something she did not necessarily want, but most likely the choice of a parent (her Mum, most likely!).

Seeing comments like "a total ban on ear piercing for under 7s. Fuck cultural reasons, if your culture involves abuse ..." and another (from someone with piercings, or tattoos, or both) saying "I don't think body piercing/modification or tattoos should be allowed under the age of 18, whether they have parental permission or not." just strengthens my feeling that circumcision (when the boy is not of an age to even know if he wants to belong to a particular faith, which is most often a reason for this being done), and even being forced to learn the teachings of one faith above all others as "the one, true faith", seems to be at odds with the several views where the point is made that being in the teens seems a better time for a young person to make such choices.

Sorry if my post appears to 'hijack', but I see immense parallels between these types of 'modification' (some may say mutilation, with justification).

Of course, on the religious side, it's not a body modification, but a mindset adjustment, and the reason for so much hatred, still, in the world, when factions from different religions are unable /unwilling to let bygones be bygones and 'turn the other cheek'.

I'd like to see religious teaching for under 16s banned, but doubt it will happen - too many vested interests for the 'status quo' !

Ideally, no piercings before junior school age at all, then ears only with parental consent & attendance. No other piercings/tattoos until 18.
Very difficult though to prove parentage and no doubt determined people would just do it themselves/with friends at home or when on holiday...?

I thought that, in England at least, you had to be either over 18 (without parental consent) or over 16 (with parental consent) to get anything other than an ear piercing done.

I've never known a (non-dodgy) piercer to do anything different.