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Jan 25, 2024

Parents flaunt their tots’ 'tattoos' in upsetting TikTok trend

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It's a tatt for tot.

Parents on TikTok are sharing shocking videos that show their young children getting inked — but it's all just tattoo trickery.

Parental pranksters have spent the past year fooling followers with footage of their youngsters being branded that it's now become a bona fide trend — and a surefire way for thirsty moms and dads to go viral.

A Florida couple kickstarted the craze last summer, hitting headlines with a video that showed their 6-month-old son getting the word "mom" inked on his arm.

The clip clocked up more than 17 million views and a whole lot of outrage, with some believing the baby boy's body art was permanent.

"Why would you get your baby a tattoo for? Like what the f- -k is wrong with you people?" one raged.

The couple later revealed that their son didn't receive a permanent inking, but rather an airbrush tattoo that would (hopefully) wash off within a few days.

Baby Stetsy is #yatted 😎 #ReTokforNature #nourisheveryyou #fyp #babiesoftiktok #momsoftiktok #bugga #momtok #airbrushtattoo

The trend has also been a boon for tattoo artists needing to needle up some business.

In October last year, Las Vegas tattoo artist Ayala Bratt became a micro-celebrity on TikTok when she was seen giving a baby body art to match his inked-up parents.

However, the tot's stencil tattoo — which was not permanent — also confused many viewers, prompting them to leave negative comments condemning the tattoo artist.

Despite the backlash, Bratt's video garnered more than 24 million views and proved to be perfect publicity.

Other artists have seemingly taken note, further fueling the fake tatt trend.

In March, Santi’no Collins garnered 5.5 million views with a video that showed him tattooing the arm of a 7-year-old boy.

"Took it like a champ," Collins captioned the video, which showed the boy sporting a skull and flames on his forearm after spending time in the parlor's chair.

The inking was only temporary, but the boost to business could be permanent.

Took it like a CHAMP🦾😤 ✍🏽 💉 #TattooArtists #Tattoo #Liltinootatts #liltinoo #BodyArt #fyp #tattnasstinoo #fy#viral #tattooideas #explorelasvegas #blackink #tatted #thinknink #lasvegastattoo #lasvegas #Arkansas #tattootiktok #art #artistsoftiktok #tattoos #inked #ink #tattooideas #fashiontiktok #inked #tattooshop #tattooartist #blacktattooartist #inkedup #tattooed #foryoupage #foryourpage #foryouthispage #tattoos #foryou #firsttattoo #kidtattoo #kidtattooing

Some parents have fooled followers by going to extreme lengths to make their offspring's inkings appear legitimate.

In December of last year, a deceptive dad shared a video that showed him using a tattoo gun to draw dots on his toddler's hands.

The father tricked so many followers that he was forced to offer up an explanation after he was roundly condemned by social media watchdogs.

"It's come to my attention that people are a little bit dumber than you’d think," he declared, revealing that he put a marker pen into a tattoo gun to make the body art appear permanent.

Other parents, however, are having more fun with the craze and aren't attempting trickery by making the body art look permanent.

A recent viral video from famous TikTok couple Steve and Ashley Evans showed them taking their toddler son to get a "tattoo" at a parlor.

"You want to get a tattoo?" Ashley asks her boy, before he nods excitedly.

The tot then claims he wants the inking on his neck before he is seen selecting a sketch from a folder full of drawings at the parlor.

The finished product — a unicorn with sparkles — was clearly a temporary tattoo, however.

His tattoo choice, though! 🤣 #tattoolover #inked #firsttattoo #fatherson #familycontent #fyp #parentlife

Rules about minors getting permanent tattoos vary from state to state.

In New York, for instance, it's illegal for artists to ink anyone under the age of 18.

However, some say kids should be exposed to tattoos from a young age — even if they can't be inked themselves.

"I think opening kids up to the world of tattoos is completely OK," the Vegas tattooist Ayala Bratt enthused.