Under the age of 18 you are officially not allowed to use a sunbed and that is not for nothing. Research has shown that Dutch women get cancer more often than women from other European countries. Going under the tanning bed is one of the factors that plays a role.
However, not all tanning salons seem to be equally careful about refusing young people. Kassa Magazine did an undercover investigation and discovered that a quarter of tanning salons allow young people under the age of 18. The studios are breaking the rules in doing so.
Serious violation
These violations are serious. Young people who use sunbeds are twice as likely to develop skin cancer as adults who use sunbeds.
Skin cancer
The number of cases of skin cancer in the Netherlands is increasing explosively. Dutch women are even more likely to contract home cancer than women from other European countries, according to research by Erasmus MC and other cancer centers. Dutch women have more sensitive skin than Southern European women. But young women are also insufficiently aware of the dangers of tanning beds. They don't realize that sun damage you get as a child can cause melanomas after decades.
Undercover Tanning salons play an important role in the prevention of skin cancer, but now it appears that they are not always strict with the rules. Kassa magazine called 32 tanning salons, all affiliated with the sector association Responsible Solar Cooperation.
They were asked by telephone whether it was possible to buy a ten-ride ticket for a 16-year-old niece. One in eight studios made a mistake. Eighteen random providers not affiliated with the association were also called, of which even half went wrong.
Sunbed on your fourteenth
Two 14-year-old friends were also asked to visit a number of tanning beds in a medium-sized city. They were admitted to four of the six studios.
Legislation
Every effort is made to monitor the age limit. In the Netherlands it is not yet explicitly forbidden for young people to go under the sun bed. The rule was created by self-regulation by the industry, which makes checks extra difficult to carry out.
It does not seem to get through enough that the tanning bed is certainly not without risks for young people. Should it be officially banned for young people under the age of 18 to use a tanning bed?
Saturday 24 November at 19.10 (Netherlands 1) Kassa will pay attention to the research.
