New laws will stop under 16s getting certain piercings Source: The Sunday Telegraph
TEENAGERS will be banned from having their tongues or belly buttons pierced without parental consent under new laws to be adopted in NSW.
Genital and nipple piercings will also be off-limits for the under-16s under the proposed changes which follow concerns among doctors of school-aged children seeking medical help for potentially fatal infections.
However, teenagers will be free to pierce their ear lobes, eyebrows, nose or lip.
The Sunday Telegraph revealed in August plans by the State Government to ban teenage cosmetic plastic surgery such as breast implants and Botox injections.NSW Premier Morris Iemma said the move to regulate the body-piercing industry was being taken on health grounds.
Maddison Deans, 13, from Drummoyne, was accompanied by her stepfather, Bill Kearns, to give his consent when she had her navel pierced yesterday at Totally Pierced in Darlinghurst.
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"Lots of my friends have had it done and I think it looks cool. It's an early Christmas present,'' she said, before rating the pain of the procedure about eight out of 10.
Mr Iemma said concerns had been raised among local health professionals of the potential for serious infections such as hepatitis B and C, toxic shock syndrome or blood poisoning to occur following a piercing.
In the case of tongue-piercings, health experts had warned that infection could result in swelling which had the potential to block the airway.
Mr Iemma said dentists had also raised concerns at the numbers of teenagers who had chipped their teeth or were experiencing receding gums as a result of their tongue piercing.
"As a father of four young children, I am concerned that current regulations mean that children can undergo body piercing without telling their parents,'' he said.
Mr Kearns said he assumed it was already illegal for children under 16 to have body piercings without parental permission.
"I think for kids 16 and under it's a good idea because otherwise they might get a piercing somewhere and their parents might not even find out until they've got an infection or something,'' he said.
The move to ban body-piercing follows a recommendation from the State Government's community services ministerial advisory committee.
The proposed legislation puts the onus on piercing parlours to ensure a school-aged client has parental permission. This could be by a written note or parental presence.
Piercing practitioners who breach the regulations would be liable to pay a fine.
Children wanting a tattoo must provide written consent from their parents and indicate the site of the proposed tattoo.
Body-piercing had been excluded from the laws governing tattooing as it had generally been viewed as being reversible.
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