Key Summary
- The government is enforcing mandatory ID checks to restrict usage of sunbeds to adults.
- It is part of the National Cancer Plan to tackle one of the most preventable causes of cancer.
- The consultation on strengthening the regulation of commercial sunbeds in England is open until 14 August.
The UK government is proposing the introduction of mandatory ID checks to prevent under‑18s from using sunbeds as part of the National Cancer Plan, to tackle one of the most preventable causes of cancer.
Under current rules, children under 18 are already barred from using sunbeds, but many have bypassed age limits using contactless systems that allow anyone to “tap and tan” without staff verification. The new law will require staff to check ID before use.
The regulations also require clear health‑risk warnings to be displayed and would ban false or misleading claims that sunbeds can help with weight loss or prevent sunburn.
Sunbed use is strongly linked to a higher risk of melanoma skin cancer, the rate of which is rising in the UK.
The government is running a consultation on strengthening the regulation of commercial sunbeds in England until 14 August 2026, with the possibility of new rules in place as early as 2027.
Public Health and Prevention Minister, Sharon Hodgson, said that stopping cancer before it starts is the best thing to do for families and the NHS.
There were nearly a quarter of a million new skin cancer diagnoses in the UK in 2023 at a cost to the NHS of around £750 million a year, underscoring the importance of the National Cancer Plan’s aim to improve early detection and outcomes.
