David Beckham's nine tattoos etched on his body seems to have sparked a tattoo-craze amongst young children, with tattoo kits having been voted the best new toy in the UK Duracell Toy Survey of five-to-10-year-olds.

According to the Telegraph, the 'Girl Crush Airbrush Tattoo' kit, launched in Britain earlier this month, has already sold about 10,000 sets and is equally popular among young boys too, despite its girlish name.

The tattoo kit, intended for children aged six upwards, comprises of various coloured ink canisters which slot into an airbrush machine and can be sprayed on to the skin through stencils ranging from butterflies and flowers to lizards, stars and moons.

"Tattoos and body art have become more popular recently. It's not only with kids, we have seen athletes in the Olympics covered in motifs and messages," the report quoted Kevin Jones, managing director of Feva, which distributes the tattoo kit, as saying.

"This is part of a general trend where younger and younger children are emulating teenagers and adults in clothes and make-up," said Dr Pat Spungin, a child psychologist.

"Kids have always wanted to copy their role models like David Beckham but, in a sense, this is telling children that tattoos are okay.

So, if you don't want your child to have a permanent tattoo when they're a teenager, perhaps you should say 'no' at this stage," added Spungin. (ANI)

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