I thought you had to be 18 to get a tattoo without parental permission.
You can bet on one thing if my kid is stupid enopugh to get a tattoo I am not stupid enough to get one too.
Although if one of the kids tattooed Traitor across their forehead it would match Obama well.
Apparently you've not visited a High School lately. There is no shortage of tattoo artists willing to take anyone, or the kid brings an older friend who will say they are the guardian or step-parent... and there are even more amateur wanna-be artists who will do them for lower rates, or in trade for XYZ (sex, drugs, or alcohol are common), just to get the practice, experience, and reputation. It is not unusual at all to see little white girls in poorer areas with numerous tats... BFs names on the breast, children's names on the back or wrists, tramp stamps, Chinese symbol at the base of the skull (easily hidden by hair), etc. I'd dare say that the majority of 17 year old kids on the wrong side of the tracks have at least 3 tattoos. Most who get one quickly want a few more, to "make a statement" or "express themselves" (even though they are rarely able to explain what any tats "means to them" beyond simply "it looks cool" or "that's my kid's name"). Outside of the suburbs, youth tats are the rule, not the exception.