FDA Drops Plan To Ban Tanning Beds for Minors Nationwide
U.S. News & World Report • • health
Key Points:
- The FDA has withdrawn a proposed federal rule that would have banned tanning bed use for individuals under 18 and required adult users to sign risk acknowledgment waivers, leaving regulation to vary by state.
- Some states and Washington, D.C. already prohibit minors from using tanning beds, while others allow teen use with parental consent; tanning beds remain regulated as medical devices with warning labels.
- Experts emphasize that UV radiation from tanning beds significantly increases skin cancer risk, especially melanoma, with use before age 20 raising risk by nearly 50%, but some argue warnings alone are insufficient without enforceable age restrictions.
- The FDA received over 8,100 public comments, with some supporting personal choice and businesses opposing the ban; the American Suntanning
