New laws could see ID checks rolled out at salons in bid to crack down on children using sunbeds
Mandatory ID checks to prevent children using sunbeds have been proposed in new laws being consulted.
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said young people were getting around existing rules, which generally prevent under-18s from using sunbeds, by “using contactless systems that allow anyone to touch up and tan without any checking by a member of staff”.
The new proposals, which the government is consulting on from Friday, will require staff to be present and check the customer’s ID before using the sunbed.
The crackdown will also mean health warnings must be clearly displayed and “dangerous claims that sunbeds aid weight loss or prevent sunburn will be banned”, the DHSC said in a statement ahead of the 12-week consultation.
Minister for Public Health and Prevention Sharon Hodgson said: “Sunbeds cause cancer and yet even children as young as 14 are accessing them illegally. This is unacceptable.
“We are closing down ways businesses can get away with this and ensuring everyone who uses sunbeds knows exactly what they are risking.
“Stopping cancer before it starts is the best thing we can do for families and the NHS.”
The public, businesses, local authorities and experts have a say until the end of the consultation period, with new rules potentially coming into force as early as next year.
The government will also look at whether tougher measures are needed with a call for evidence starting in autumn 2026.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, said: “Sunbeds are not a harmless shortcut to getting a tan; we know they carry a cancer risk and under-18s should not use them at all.
“These recommendations will help prevent unscrupulous operators from providing sunbeds to children and ensure adults understand the risks before using sunbeds.”
Almost a quarter of a million new skin cancer diagnoses will be made in the UK in 2023, costing the NHS an estimated £750 million annually.
The crackdown is part of the Government’s national cancer plan and aims to keep one in three cancer patients cancer-free or living well for five years after diagnosis.
Marie Tudor, chief executive of skin cancer charity Skcin, said the consultation was “hugely encouraging”.
Ms Tudor added: “Stronger regulation is urgently needed as skin cancer is now the most common form of cancer in the UK and there is evidence to suggest risks increase significantly when sunbed use begins at a young age.
“Mandatory identity checks, clearer health warnings and stricter checks on misleading health claims are positive and necessary steps to improve public safety, raise awareness and help prevent future cases of skin cancer.”
“If implemented, these new proposals could protect more teenagers and young adults,” said Jules Worrall, interim chief executive of the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Ms Worrall added: “We strongly recommend sunbeds are avoided and want to ensure young people and young adults are informed of the risks.
“We are therefore pleased that the consultation aims to strengthen health warnings and tighten identity checks, as we are deeply concerned about the level of harmful misinformation readily available promoting the so-called ‘benefits’ of sunbeds.”
Susanna Daniels, CEO of Melanoma Focus, said: “Young skin is particularly vulnerable to the risks of sunbeds, and research has shown that a single exposure to indoor tanning before the age of 35 is associated with a 59% increased risk of developing melanoma.”
