Spectator editorial: Tanning teens
Laws designed to curb teenage use of indoor tanning good
Spectator Staff
Issue date: 12/11/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
When The Who sang about a teenage wasteland, they weren't exactly singing about tanning salons. But they might as well have been.
According to a Dec. 8 Associated Press article, state laws meant to keep teens out of indoor tanning booths haven't made a dent in the overall numbers using them, as researchers point to lax enforcement as a factor. Researchers have also found U.S. cases of melanoma are increasing while as many as one in three girls use indoor tanning.
Having laws that are in place to curb teenagers from using tanning salons is a good thing. Younger people, especially females, will fall to peer pressure and use the potential carcinogen as a way to feel cool. At that age, teenagers are prone to sacrificing their health in order to look good, and something needs to be done in order to prevent immature adolescents from making decisions that would cause them to have life-long health problems.
But with law enforcement having other priorities and consistently being hurt by budget cuts, it is unrealistic to expect them to be the ones enforcing these laws. When drunk drivers are on the streets, drug deals are occurring and gang violence could erupt, it is not the job of the police to make sure tanning
salons are not serving those under the age of 18. With that in mind, it would not be a bad idea to have these laws enforced through things such as health associations or government administrations that likely already inspect the salons because of the nature of their business.
Overall there needs to be a cultural change in order to bring a stop to using tanning salons. Awareness needs to be raised in order to show the negative ramifications of tanning during the developing years of teenagers. Insurance companies could help the cause by raising premiums for their clients who use tanning salons. By threatening to take their money, it would effectively decrease the amount of users and decrease the number of Americans who suffer from melanoma and a dependency on tanning.
According to a Dec. 8 Associated Press article, state laws meant to keep teens out of indoor tanning booths haven't made a dent in the overall numbers using them, as researchers point to lax enforcement as a factor. Researchers have also found U.S. cases of melanoma are increasing while as many as one in three girls use indoor tanning.
Having laws that are in place to curb teenagers from using tanning salons is a good thing. Younger people, especially females, will fall to peer pressure and use the potential carcinogen as a way to feel cool. At that age, teenagers are prone to sacrificing their health in order to look good, and something needs to be done in order to prevent immature adolescents from making decisions that would cause them to have life-long health problems.
But with law enforcement having other priorities and consistently being hurt by budget cuts, it is unrealistic to expect them to be the ones enforcing these laws. When drunk drivers are on the streets, drug deals are occurring and gang violence could erupt, it is not the job of the police to make sure tanning
salons are not serving those under the age of 18. With that in mind, it would not be a bad idea to have these laws enforced through things such as health associations or government administrations that likely already inspect the salons because of the nature of their business.
Overall there needs to be a cultural change in order to bring a stop to using tanning salons. Awareness needs to be raised in order to show the negative ramifications of tanning during the developing years of teenagers. Insurance companies could help the cause by raising premiums for their clients who use tanning salons. By threatening to take their money, it would effectively decrease the amount of users and decrease the number of Americans who suffer from melanoma and a dependency on tanning.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 12
John
posted 12/11/08 @ 11:51 AM CST
Oh please ... How about we go after the fast food industry, let's lower the rate of obesity which undoubtedly costs more in medical treatments than tanning. (Continued…)
Brian
posted 12/11/08 @ 1:31 PM CST
On the contrary, tanning beds have been hailed as a potential cure for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) which affects many people in the midwest. The only way to get the purest form of Vitamin D is for your body to produce it, which occurs during exposure to sunlight. (Continued…)
Teresa Carder
posted 3/06/09 @ 9:01 AM CST
I thank you for the opportunity to share a portion of my moments in time with future generations.
Katrina Glover
posted 3/06/09 @ 9:23 AM CST
Yes i agree with you , and nice news thanks. This realy nice news , i watch for them .
Anna Reed
posted 3/07/09 @ 10:07 AM CST
This sounds like a great program and a great way to improve education in our schools!
Nancy Johnson
posted 3/07/09 @ 10:45 AM CST
Good scene, interesting post, thanks.
Tomer Mollenhauer
posted 5/22/09 @ 8:20 AM CST
I like articles like this. Great Article! Thanks!
Kaler Whitehead
posted 6/20/09 @ 11:19 AM CST
Good information. Thanks for the post.
Kaler Whitehead
posted 6/22/09 @ 1:29 AM CST
Good information. Thanks for the post.
Alison Worth
posted 7/03/09 @ 2:27 PM CST
Nice post about Tanning teens
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