Protect children from sunbeds

Sunbed campaign

  • Using a sunbed before the age of 35 increases the risk of cancer by 75 per cent
  • More than a quarter of a million 11-17 year olds in England have used a sunbed
  • The most common cancer in young people aged 15-34 is malignant melanoma (the most dangerous form of skin cancer)

The link between sunbed use and skin cancer is proven. Experts believe that along with excessive exposure to the sun, sunbed use is helping to fuel the increase in skin cancer incidence across the UK, particularly amongst the young.

Yet we know that children and young people often gain easy access to sunbeds.

 

We are delighted to confirm that the Sunbed Bill has now become law. The Sunbeds Act (as it will now be known) will restrict the use of sunbeds to over 18s in England and Wales (Scotland already has this legislation), and a generation of our children will be protected from the damage they can cause. A huge thank you goes out to all those who emailed their MPs on this issue. 

For more information about what we think about sunbeds and sun awareness, see our policy pages.

For more information about the damage caused by sunbeds see our healthy living pages.