Politics & Government

Bill to Ban Minors From Tanning Beds Advances

The bill authored by state Sen. Ted Lieu would ban those under age 18 from using indoor tanning beds. It has passed the state Senate and now heads to the Assembly.

A bill authored by state (D-Torrance) that would prohibit anyone younger than 18 from using indoor tanning beds is headed for a vote in the state Assembly after being passed by the state Senate.

The Senate approved the measure on June 1 by a vote of 24-9.

“The science is clear: Use of tanning beds causes skin cancer,” Lieu said in a statement following the Senate vote. “The younger kids are when they start using these tanning beds, the greater the damage to their skin, and the more likely they are to die of skin cancer.” 

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Current law requires teens between ages 14 and 17 to obtain permission from a parent or guardian to use tanning beds, and children under 14 are already banned from using the devices.

If Senate Bill 746 is signed into law, California would be the first in the country with such a ban on tanning beds for minors, according to Lieu’s office, adding that several countries in Europe, including France and England, have restricted teens under 18 from using tanning beds.

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The Indoor Tanning Association has rallied business owners, workers and customers to write letters against the proposed ban to their representatives in the state Assembly. 

The proposed ban would “take away a very basic right of parents—the right to decide whether or not a teen can suntan indoors,” according to a petition on the association’s website. 

However, various medical groups stand in support of SB 746, and the groups California Society of Dermatology and Dermatological Surgery and Aim at Melanoma Foundation sponsor the measure.


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