As reported by the National Health Executive, the government is preparing a crackdown on sunbed use by under 18s after investigations found children as young as 14 accessing tanning salons despite existing legal protections.

Under proposals expected to be set out in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, ministers plan to tighten controls on commercial sunbeds by banning unsupervised sessions, introducing mandatory ID checks, and strengthening enforcement against operators who break the law. The measures are intended to reduce preventable cancer risk and support efforts to improve cancer outcomes in England.

The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 already bans under 18s from using commercial sunbeds and places a legal duty on businesses to prevent access. However, evidence suggests compliance remains inconsistent, prompting renewed action.

The World Health Organisation classifies sunbeds as posing a similar cancer risk to smoking. Research shows that using a sunbed before the age of 20 increases the risk of melanoma by 47% compared with people who have never used one.

A public consultation will seek views on a package of proposed changes, including tougher enforcement against salons selling access to minors, clearer penalties for non compliance, mandatory age verification, improved public information on cancer risks, and a requirement for trained staff to supervise all sessions.

Alongside the consultation, the government will launch a call for evidence to assess whether further action is needed to reduce melanoma cases, particularly among young people where awareness of risk remains low.