Indoor tanning is increasingly popular among Gen Z, driven by social media portrayals linking tanning to wellness, despite longstanding health warnings.

Current regulations on sunbeds are ineffective, with surveys showing that up to 28% of the UK public still use them despite bans for teenagers and known health risks.

Leading UK cancer doctors are calling for an immediate ban on sunbeds, citing their link to increased skin cancer risk, particularly melanoma among young adults.

The World Cancer Research Fund supports closing tanning salons, emphasizing that sunbeds increase skin cancer risk and safer alternatives like fake tans are available.

Sunbed use disproportionately affects disadvantaged populations and vulnerable groups, aligning with UK priorities to reduce health inequalities.

There were approximately 4,231 tanning salons in England and 232 in Wales last year, with total costs of closure estimated between £11 million and £55 million.

International examples reveal that stricter regulation has not significantly reduced underage sunbed use, largely due to aggressive marketing tactics by the industry.

Although sunbeds are illegal for under-18s in England and Wales following WHO's classification of UV radiation as carcinogenic in 2009, enforcement remains weak, especially among 16- and 17-year-olds.

A recent analysis in The BMJ suggests that banning sunbeds would be cost-effective for the NHS and could significantly reduce skin cancer rates.

Sunbed outlets are more common in northern England, correlating with higher melanoma rates among 25-49-year-olds, especially women, and are often unmonitored, with high density in deprived areas.

Regional disparities show the highest melanoma rates in northern England, aligning with higher availability of sunbeds in these regions.

Existing regulations have failed to prevent underage use, and stricter rules are unlikely to effectively protect vulnerable populations.