Crackdown on illegal underage sunbed use could see ID checks at all salons

New rules are being considered to stop teenagers illegally using sunbeds.

Under-18s are already banned from using them but teens often swerve the prohibition by using contactless payment systems to tap and tan anonymously.

The new proposals, being consulted on by the Government from Friday, would require staff to be present and check a customer’s ID before they can use a sunbed.

Health warnings would also have to be displayed and ‘dangerous claims that sunbeds help with weight loss or prevent sunburn would be banned’, the health department said ahead of the 12-week consultation.

Public health and prevention minister Sharon Hodgson said: ‘Sunbeds cause cancer and yet children as young as 14 are still accessing them illegally. That is not acceptable.

‘We’re closing the ways in which businesses could get away with this, and making sure anyone who uses a sunbed knows exactly what they’re 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 until the end of the consultation period to have their say, with new rules potentially in place as early as next year.

The Government will also look at whether tougher action is needed, with a call for evidence launching in autumn 2026.

What has the reaction been?

Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, said: ‘Sunbeds are not a harmless shortcut to a tan – we know they are a cancer risk, and under-18s should not be using them at all.

‘These proposals would help prevent unscrupulous operators from providing sunbeds to children and make sure that adults understand the risks before they use one.’

In 2023 there were almost a quarter of a million new skin cancer diagnoses in the UK, costing the NHS an estimated £750 million annually.

The crackdown is part of the Government’s national cancer plan, with an ambition to see one in three cancer patients cancer-free or living well five years after diagnosis.

Marie Tudor, chief executive of Skcin skin cancer charity, said the consultation was ‘extremely encouraging’.

Ms Tudor added: ‘With skin cancer now the most common cancer in the UK, and evidence showing the risks increase significantly when sunbed use begins at a young age, stronger regulation is urgently needed.

‘Mandatory ID checks, clearer health warnings, and tighter controls on misleading health claims are positive and necessary steps towards improving public safety, raising awareness, and helping to prevent future skin cancer cases.’

Jules Worrall, interim chief executive at Teenage Cancer Trust, said ‘if enforced, these new proposals could protect more teenagers and young adults’.

Ms Worrall added: ‘We strongly recommend that sunbeds are avoided and want to ensure that teenagers and young adults are informed about the risks.

‘So we’re pleased that the consultation aims to strengthen health warnings, as well as crack down on ID checks, because we are deeply concerned about the level of harmful misinformation easily available promoting so-called ‘benefits’ about sunbeds.’

Susanna Daniels, chief executive of Melanoma Focus, said: ‘Young skin is especially vulnerable to the risks of sunbeds, and research has shown that a single exposure to indoor tanning before the age of 35 years is associated with a 59% increased risk of developing melanoma.’