Government to take action on sunbeds use in move to cut teenage cancer risks

The government has announced plans to crackdown on illegal underage sunbeds use in a bid to reduce cancer risks to teenagers.

New proposals under a soon-to-be launched National Cancer Plan will include a ban on unsupervised sessions and the introduction of mandatory ID checks to verify users are over 18.

The Department of Health and Social care said the move followed recent investigations which have shown that teenagers as young as 14 are gaining access to tanning salons, ‘routinely flouting the existing ban on under 18s using sunbeds’.

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A consultation on the issue will launch in Spring 2026 and new rules could come into force as soon as next year.

Susanna Daniels, chief executive officer of Melanoma Focus, said ‘the need for action is clear’.

‘Melanoma skin cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK,’ she added.

‘The time to act is now and we therefore support the action the Department of Health and Social Care is proposing.’

Polling from Melanoma Focus shows that only 62% of adults know that sunbed use increases cancer risk, and nearly a quarter of 18–25-year-olds believe that sunbeds actually reduce their risk of cancer.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has classed sunbeds to be as dangerous as smoking.

Using a sunbed before the age of 20 increases the risk of melanoma skin cancer by 47% when compared to those who have never used one, according to the WHO.

Health minister Karin Smyth said: ‘Stronger protections on sunbeds are needed so people understand risks that could have deadly consequences.

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‘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.’

She added that the proposals will ‘ensure the law is properly enforced’, noting that the government will do ‘everything we can’ to protect people from avoidable cancers.