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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday that he has signed legislation that will prohibit children under the age of 18 from using indoor tanning facilities, effective immediately.
"It is indisputable that tanning devices and UV exposure place users at the highest risk for skin cancer, made worse for those who begin tanning indoors at a young age,” Sen. Phil Booth said in a statement. “With so much misleading and ill-informed information regarding indoor tanning, we cannot expect 17-year-olds to make the right decisions when it comes to the risk and dangers involved in this practice.”
Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee added that, “as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Children and Families, protecting our children's health and safety is a top priority. By prohibiting 17-year-olds from using tanning facilities, my bill will help prevent these children from making uninformed decisions, and reduce the serious and sometimes deadly health risks that have been well documented by medical experts.”
Under the current law, children 17 and over are permitted to use the facilities without parental consent which “significantly increases the risk for skin cancer among the population,” officials noted. The new bill will ban children from using the facilities in an effort to protect them from harmful UV rays used in the tanning booths.
"We have long known the dangers of indoor tanning and the devastating health risks that go along with prolonged exposure to ultraviolet rays," Cuomo said in a statement. "By further limiting our children from exposing themselves to this health risk, we can stop the spread of preventable disease and help save lives."
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