Indoor tanning has been shown to increase skin cancer risks

With a drastic increase in the number of cases of skin cancer, health organizations, like the American Academy of Pediatrics, are seeking to ban teenagers from the use of tanning beds, as they have been shown to drastically increase skin cancer risks.

While many states have regulations on children and teenagers tanning, health officials want it to be across the board. Currently, at least 30 states have indoor tanning regulations, and some even require parental consent to tan or outright ban children under 14 years old.

Two states currently discussing the potential ban of indoor tanning for anybody under 18 years old are New York and Illinois.

These potential policy changes were published in Pediatrics.

Most popular with teenage girls, indoor tanning is frequently a monthly, and sometimes even a weekly routine for young girls. Many girls, whether avid tanners or not, go to a tanning booth before senior prom.

In 2010, just under 9,000 people died from melanoma, while nearly 70,000 new cases were diagnosed. Indoor tanning has been directly linked to increased skin cancer risks, and health officials are working to mitigate these risks, especially in younger individuals.