Age checks to stop children using sunbeds under new laws
Government to introduce age verifications for sunbeds to protect young people from harm.
- Tougher rules to better protect children and teens from sunbeds, including mandatory ID checks
- 12-week consultation launched on introducing new regulations
- Part of the government’s National Cancer Plan to tackle one of the most preventable causes of cancer
Children will be stopped from using sunbeds through mandatory ID checks under new laws being consulted on by the government today (Friday 22 May).
Under-18s are already barred from using sunbeds but teens often get around these rules through using contactless systems that let anyone tap and tan without any checks by a staff member.
The new proposals would require staff to be present and check a customer’s ID before they can use a sunbed. The crackdown would also mean health warnings must be clearly displayed, and dangerous claims that sunbeds help with weight loss or prevent sunburn would be banned.
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.
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.
We should be doing everything we can to prevent cancer before it starts, and action like this can help us save lives.
Susanna Daniels, CEO of Melanoma Focus, said:
Sunbed use is associated with a significant increase in risk of melanoma skin cancer, which is on the rise in the UK. We welcome the launch of this consultation and support the focus on enforcing the law banning under 18s from using them.
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.
Alongside the measures announced this week, we support the inclusion in the National Cancer Plan of a commitment to a broader, comprehensive strategy that includes education, regulation, and prevention to protect the public from this deadly but largely preventable cancer.
Marie Tudor, CEO of SKCIN – UK Skin Cancer Charity, said
SKCIN welcomes the launch of the government’s sunbed consultation and the proposed introduction of stronger safeguards to better protect children and young people from the proven dangers of sunbed use.
Having submitted recommendations to the National Cancer Plan, it is extremely encouraging to see action being taken on this important public health issue. 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.
We strongly encourage the public to take part in the consultation and help shape measures designed to better protect future generations from avoidable harm.
Jules Worrall, Interim Chief Executive at Teenage Cancer Trust, said:
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.
Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer experienced by young people, so it is important to raise awareness of potential causes, including sunbeds. If enforced, these new proposals could protect more teenagers and young adults.
We always recommend that young people use trusted sources to understand the potential dangers of using sunbeds, including the NHS and cancer charities that are accredited for their information.
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 2027.
The government will also look at whether even tougher action is needed, with a call for evidence launching in autumn 2026.
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
The government has already made significant progress on cancer outcomes, with around 240,000 more patients receiving a cancer diagnosis or having cancer ruled out on time in the 12 months to March 2025, than did so in the 12 months to June 2024.