Completely disagree with Tolak. For some reason Tolak you're talking about this as if it's only fish - this law covers all animals sold in petshops. Of
course it matters if a kid has already bought one. What about the puppy they buy that they drag round the streets unvaccinated before their parents find out? Returned to the petshop, but habouring parvovirus, distemper etc? What about the kitten bought by a gang of teenagers when skiving after lunchbreak and left on the school bus at the end of the day when they realise they can't take it home? Two situations I've personally seen happen - that kitten went on to live with my sister. The puppy didn't get immediate treatment (being a pet shop animal it's rare they get it at all), and died.
Another thing you have to remember is the unsavoury people aren't on the street dealing fish to children like marijuana (PMSL - classic), they're generally running crappy pet shops. Sadly there is no such thing as a good pet shop that sells domestic animals (not including fish, I'm talking cats, dogs, hamsters etc). The majority are not responsible about who they sell to and what happens to that animal once it leaves their care.
The majority of small animals sold in pet shops are already pregnant if female, badly socialised and poorly cared for.
A huge portion of the pet shop trade in domestic pets is reliant on quick sales on the spur of the moment - with a lot of that being to children (with or without their parents).
And at the minute in this country, we're allowing young children to go out and buy one of these and either take on the responsibility of a poorly bred, badly socialised and potentially poorly animal, or to buy one and have it returned to the petshop ater the stress of being bought/dragged around/taken home/returned. All of this with no parental involvement (which I agree needs to be given with or without laws, but needs laws to back it up).
All of us have been teenagers. I was a particularly responsible one yet rebellious to my parents. Luckily I didn't want a pet enough to put them through that, but I could have. Unluckily I wanted a boyfriend with a motorbike and I managed to get that. Wasn't all it was cracked up to be sadly. Bit like a pet to a teenager. Exciting at first, can't wait to dump the responsibility after a while (disclaimer - I'm not like this with either animals or men now
).
There are things in life you have to wait for. The responsibility of pet ownership should be one of them.