New proposals, which under the soon-to-be launched National Cancer Plan, will strengthen requirements around commercial sunbed use, including banning unsupervised sessions and introducing mandatory ID checks to verify users are over 18.

Recent investigations have shown that teenagers as young as 14 are gaining access to tanning salons, routinely flouting the existing ban on under-18s using sunbeds. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classed sunbeds to be as dangerous as smoking. Using a sunbed before the age of 20 increases the risk of melanoma skin cancer by 47% compared to those who have never used one, according to the WHO.

Health minister, Karin Smyth, said: ‘Stronger protections on sunbeds are needed so people understand risks that could have deadly consequences.

‘The evidence is clear: there is no safe level of sunbed use, yet too many young people are being exposed to a known carcinogen with little understanding of the risks.

‘These proposals will crack down on rogue operators and ensure the law is properly enforced. Prevention saves lives, and we will do everything we can to protect people from avoidable cancers.'

In 2023, there were almost a quarter of a million new skin cancer diagnoses in the UK, costing the NHS an estimated £750m annually.

Despite these risks, public awareness remains dangerously low. Polling from Melanoma Focus shows that only 62% of adults know that sunbed use increases cancer risk, and nearly a quarter of 18–25-year-olds wrongly believe sunbeds actually reduce their risk of cancer.

Professor Meghana Pandit, national medical director at NHS England, said: ‘A sunbed tan might only last a few weeks, but the damage can last a lifetime.

‘Sunbeds blast your skin with high levels of UV radiation raising the risk of melanoma and other skin cancers, particularly for young people.'

A consultation on the plans is set to launch in Spring 2026, and a call for evidence will also be launched to understand whether further action to reduce cases of melanoma is justified. The new rules could come into force as soon as 2027.