When Kids Get Tattoos

From the West Coast to the United Kingdom, kids just want to get inked. Last weekend, the Coachella crowds went crazy over a couple of things: Drake was caught locking lips with some lady twice his age, and Brooklyn Beckham—16-year-old model and son of David and Victoria Beckham—had a neck tattoo. But like a Tupac hologram, Beckham’s neck tattoo was for Coachella only. The vertical line of small black triangles was only temporary, and came from a Flash Tattoos stand at the festival. Flash Tattoos marketing manager Kirsten Stoddard told 3am that “Brooklyn loved the tattoos on offer and plans to get some real ones in a few years time when he’s old enough.”

Some kids just can’t wait.

On Monday, Cody Wayne Townes, a 32-year-old Michigan man, was given probation and a $365 fine after he invited two girls—ages 18 and 16—over to his house, gave them alcohol, and tattooed the 16-year-old without a license. Townes pled guilty to contributing to the delinquency of children, and in exchange had the charges of furnishing alcohol to a minor and having a body art facility without a license dropped.

Also earlier this week, in the U.K., Colin John Hawkins, a 22-year-old aspiring tattoo artist was given a six-month “conditional discharge” for tattooing a person under the age of 18. Last year, Hawkins bought a tattoo kit online and used it on a 15-year-old girl who responded to a Facebook post about free tattoos. Hawkins claimed he thought the girl was 16, even though the age of consent for tattoos is 18. Even though he pled ignorant, he was also ordered to pay the girl £200.