Parents support age restrictions for indoor tanning, linked to increased risk of skin cancer

After collecting data from a group of parents, researchers from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute found that almost two-thirds of parents agreed with policies to ban indoor tanning for those under the age of 18, due to risks including skin cancer.

Researchers from Georgetown University and the University of Minnesota were also involved in the study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. They found that support for an indoor tanning ban was especially high in certain racial/ethnic groups and geographic regions of the U.S. The researchers surveyed 1,244 parents of children aged 11 to 17 about the age based restrictions on indoor tanning. Of those surveyed, 65 percent agreed with policies to ban indoor tanning for teens, 23 percent had no opinion and 12 percent disagreed. 

"Our study demonstrates parents' broad support of age-based restrictions on indoor tanning for adolescents, particularly when they've been informed of the health risks," said lead author Melissa B. Gilkey, PhD, of Harvard Medical School's Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute in a statement. "This study provides valuable information on parents' attitudes toward the public health risks of indoor tanning that should inform public officials re-examining policies concerning the industry."

Public health leaders, including the World Health Organization and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, have categorized the ultraviolet radiation as a carcinogen and prioritized reducing adolescent exposure.