TEENS & FREEDOM
10th annual survey results
Results roundup: What 218,350 teens said about freedom and rules.
Complete national survey results, plus look at the differences among several cities across the nation
Rules at school: 75% of teens would ban clothes with gang symbols at school. But, 83% oppose school uniforms.
New technology, from Internet access to the V-chip, poses dilemmas for kids and parents
Town curfews and mall limitations have gained popularity to fight crime. 50% of teens surveyed support nighttime community curfews for protection.
Tattoos taboo? 17% say tattoos on teens should be prohibited.
Results and comments from our Quick Poll about alchohol breath tests -- your rights vs. your safety. Find out what battles over rights are being fought.
Roundtable: Teens talk to Tipper Gore about age limits and being allowed to make their own decisions.
Teen idols say they have limits and rules to follow, too
Should tattoos be taboo?
Tattoos are popular among teenagers, but increasingly illegal.
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Nadeah Johnson, 17, of Alexandria, Va.:"I got my tattoo, basically, because it is cool. My dad took me [to the tattoo parlor]. Mom thought it was cute."
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Forget the kangaroo snow globe. Nicole Bennett has a permanent souvenir of her trip as student ambassador to Australia and New Zealand: a heart tattooed on her chest. A 10th-grader at Plainview (Minn.) High School, she's 16 now and regrets her moment of succumbing to peer pressure at age 15. "The day after I got it, I remember waking up in the morning and being really sad that I had it. You would think that you could give a 15-year-old a little freedom, especially a student ambassador. But I guess not. I had an hour without supervision and look what I did with it."
Parents concerned about bloodborne disease -- though health officials consider the actual risk minor -- and hard-to-remove alterations to their children's bodies are asking for limits: Already, 22 states either prohibit tattooing or body piercing of minors or require special permission, with new laws this spring in Virginia and Montana. In Oklahoma, tattooing is prohibited, period. At press time, bills to limit tattooing or piercing were pending in Arizona, California, New Jersey, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, New York and Texas.
Shylonda Wright, 17 and a 10th-grader at Colby (Kan.) High School, says though her friends have tattoos, she's comfortable with laws banning them for people under 18: "It's for their protection."
Photo: JOHN GAROFALO FOR USA WEEKEND
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