Rhode Island prohibits the use of indoor tanning beds by minors under the age of 18 without parental consent. This is an evidence that indoor tanning is undeniably linked to increased risk of developing melanoma and other forms of skin cancer. A ban on sun beds for minors is critical to preventing skin cancer and reducing country’s health care costs, The incidence rates of melanoma have been increasing for the last 20 years, with the most rapid increases occurring among young, white women, the most common users of indoor tanning beds. In Rhode Island the incidence rate for melanoma in women 15 years and older increased by 24 percent between 2004 and 2008. Banning minors’ access to indoor tanning stops this behavior before it can become a habit that continues through adolescence into adulthood.”
Read more: American Academy of Dermatology
