Is there an age limit for patting down youth at airports?

I had the same concern. A kid might be traumatized by it.

12 and under are not patted down. Above 12, it is up to the screeners.

I’m sure terrorist won’t have any problem using kids under 12 to smuggle explosives onto a plane. I don’t like the idea of invasive scanners and pat downs, but at the same time I don’t want a ten year old kid bringing a bomb on my plane.

I would actually hope that children would not be exempt. With a parent present, trauma should be greatly reduced. I would hope there would be sensitivity training associated with this…but, as @rts486 suggested, it is in fact the case that terrorist use children all the time.

If children are exempt, then the new procedures are more clearly about increasing the perception of security rather than actually implementing procedures that, in fact, do make us more safe.

Well, it’s Younger than three if there is a limit.

kids don’t have to be patted down if they go through the scanner if requested. If ANY kid, or anyone else, trips the metal detector twice, they get a personal search.

While I try to keep from being paranoid, terrorist use of their children to hide IEDs is well documented all over the world.

Don’t worry. The TSA has produced a pamphlet explaining it all in child friendly language.

I’ve been wondering that exact thing this past week because of all the news about it, and my best friend’s 5 and 11 year old niece and nephew are flying over here, alone, and staying with them for 3 months. I really hope nothing goes wrong with this.

You know, the story told to all young marines is that during The Vietnam Conflict, some people would put grenades in the orifices of children. When they would walk up to a soldier or marine, they would be crying bloody murder presumably out of pain. This would gender sympathy and ultimately blow up the soldiers and marines. As grueling as this is, kids should be treated as all people are, but as iamthemob said, with sensitivity and a parent present.

During the increased security after the bomb scare in December, everyone got a pat down before flying to the US. I saw a girl around 5 years old, she had to go through it like everyone else.

She handled it considerably well, too.