Should Teens Be Banned From Tanning Salons?
With skin cancer so common among teens under 19, several states are considering changing the law to prevent minors from tanning without parental consent.
Miss Florida Teen USA Kayla Collier was just 15 when she got her first fake tan. And later that year, her mother discovered a scab, which turned out to be cancerous. Although her skin cancer isn't directly linked to tanning, Kayla believes it played a role.
In Florida, a new law is in the works to prevent teens from going to tanning booths without their parent's permission. In Wisconsin, teens under 16 are completely banned from going tanning, and other states like California, New York and New Jersey don't allow anyone under 14 in the booths. But states like Vermont and Texas are taking it one step further -- anyone under 18 would need a doctor's note.
More than a million people are diagnosed with some kind of skin cancer each year and experts say that early exposure to UV rays can lead to serious consequences later in life. "We do not want minors to tan because [they're] more susceptible to skin damage prior to the age of 18," Samantha Guild, spokeswoman for Aim at Melanoma said.
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