National Cancer Plan proposes mandatory ID checks to prevent children as young as 14 from accessing tanning salons
The government has announced plans to tighten restrictions on commercial sunbed use, including in the West Midlands, in a bid to protect youngsters from skin cancer.
Measures include banning unsupervised sessions and introducing mandatory ID checks.
The proposals, set to form part of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, follow investigations revealing that teenagers as young as 14 have been accessing tanning salons in breach of existing law.
Despite Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 already prohibiting under-18s from using commercial sunbeds, rogue operators have continued to sell sessions to children.
The World Health Organisation classifies UV-emitting devices, including sunbeds, as a Group 1 carcinogen, placing them in the same category as tobacco, asbestos and radon.
Using a sunbed before the age of 20 increases the risk of melanoma by 47 per cent compared to those who have never used one.
Health Minister Karin Smyth said: “The evidence is clear – there is no safe level of sunbed use, yet too many young people are being exposed to a known carcinogen with little understanding of the risks. These proposals will crack down on rogue operators and ensure the law is properly enforced.”
Cancer survivors speak out
Natasha Gowan, diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma after years of sunbed use in her twenties, said: “Twenty years later, a mole I’d had forever started to change. I needed multiple operations, underwent a year of immunotherapy and now live with the constant fear of it returning. No tan is worth the physical and emotional toll this has taken on my life.”
Susanna Daniels, Chief Executive of Melanoma Focus, welcomed the proposals, noting that 34 per cent of UK 16 to 17-year-olds use sunbeds despite the existing ban. “The time to act is now,” she said.
Professor Meghana Pandit of NHS England added: “A sunbed tan might only last a few weeks, but the damage can last a lifetime.”
In 2023, nearly a quarter of a million new skin cancer diagnoses were recorded in the UK, costing the NHS an estimated £750 million annually. A public consultation and call for evidence will accompany the proposals.
