Honestly, if the person is under close supervision, why is it such taboo for them to dive beyond what you guys seem to have picked out as specific depth limits, experience limits, etc.? Where's your citations, sources, etc. that prove these so-called limits are anything other than your own opinion? How about safety records? Scuba diving is one of the most accident-free sports in existence; if this sort of thing was as rampantly dangerous as you say, then I doubt that would be the case. I'm sure there are operators that do put people at risk and unnecessary danger, however, there's idiots in ever industry so I don't see why you should vilify this particular case.
I can't comment on the possible damage to the body and/or development of a child at depth since I don't have the necessary medical knowledge to have an opinion on it (and ironically, most of you guys don't either, yet you still have an opinion on it), so I'm not going to go there, but I don't see why people should be branded as clueless and being taken advantage of simply because they got to do some good diving for their certification dives. Hell, I'd rather dive in Belize or Grand Cayman in tropical waters with great vis to get certified versus the 4-6 foot surf, 3-5' vis, and strong surge that I had to deal with in Monterey. Would I dive 150 feet in a blue hole or 96 feet off a wall in the GC? Not only no but **** no! I don't feel like free falling underwater because I don't have control of buoyancy (and if anyone said they did during open water, they're an *******). However, that's my choice to make, and those people made a choice to do those dives, so leave them alone. This particular story may be different because kids don't know better, but once someone's an adult, they have the responsibility to make their own decisions so why not let them?