New California Law Bans Teens From Using Tanning Beds

On October 9th, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the nation’s strictest teen tanning law. SB 746 bans all minors from using tanning beds starting January 1, 2012. Under prior law, minors age 15 and older were allowed to tan with parental permission.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 31 states, including Connecticut, limit minors’ use of tanning facilities. Connecticut law requires written permission from a parent or guardian for a person under age 16 to use a tanning facility. A tanning facility operator may be fined up to $100 for violating this requirement.

A recent report from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer encourages policymakers to enact measures to discourage adults and prohibit minors from using indoor tanning facilities in order to protect people from additional skin cancer risk.