By now, we should all know that there is nothing healthy about tanning.

But it seems Gen Z never got the memo, with a worrying new trend around tanning.

Experts are now urging young people to practice sun safety – with some of the responsibility falling into the hands of parents.

Dangerous trend

Through platforms like Instagram and TikTok, influencers have begun to not only promote skin care routines and makeup routines, but now also tanning routines.

Videos of young women using tanning oils and monitoring the UV index – a measure of the strength of ultraviolet radiation that produces sunburn at a given place and time – to use it as a tool, rather than a warning, are being made viral, encouraging others. to deliberately burn tannins into their skin for aesthetic purposes.

Professor Anne Cust, chair of the Cancer Council’s National Skin Cancer Committee, said it was extremely worrying to see.

“It’s very disturbing to see this glamorization of tanning culture, where young people believe that tan lines are desirable and are looking for sunburns and tans on social media,” she said.

“This behavior is dangerous as young people deliberately expose themselves to harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation and put themselves at an increased risk of developing skin cancer.”

Professor Cust noted that research shows almost 1 in 3 young Australians believe it’s good to be out in the sun at their age, and alarmingly, less than 1 in 10 consistently use all five forms of sun protection.

How can we stop it?

While Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, fortunately, it is almost entirely preventable.

It’s because of this that the Cancer Council has some pretty straightforward advice when it comes to protecting your skin: slip on protective clothing, use broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF50 or SPF50+ sunscreen, wear a hat with wide shelter, look for shade and slip on sunglasses.

This applies to any day when the UV index is at level 3 or above – indicating a moderate to high risk of damage, even if it looks cloudy and gloomy outside.

Making fresh sunscreen

If you’re reading this knowing that your child is going to come back to you saying that wearing anything but a bikini to the beach isn’t cool (because we’ve all been there, sorry mom!), know that there might be a best way to do this.

According to Professor Cust, it’s all about making your teenager feel confident enough to embrace their natural skin tone and make sun protection a regular part of their daily routine – just like skincare.

“We want young people to feel empowered to be the ones to stop the trend of skin cancer,” she said.

“We encourage parents to talk to their children about sun protection as a way to look after their skin and make it part of their daily routine. By being safe from the sun now, their future selves (and their skin) will thank them.

“It can be as simple as reminding them to use and keep sunscreen close at hand. These reminders can be applying sunscreen 20 minutes before entering the pool and after toweling off; a hat, sunglasses and a long-sleeved shirt before going out with their friends; carry extra sunglasses and sunscreen in their everyday bag; check the UV index before going outside to play.”

Being a good role model is also key to helping develop these habits in younger children.

“Parents can seek to support their children in building sun protection habits and feeling comfortable in their own skin by reinforcing these behaviors, and one way to do this is by demonstrating these behaviors to them themselves,” said she.

Knowing the statistics can also make a big difference. While it is not common to be diagnosed with skin cancer at a young age, it is certainly not impossible.

“Research shows that the majority of young Australians (74%) believe their risk of skin cancer is unlikely. While it is true that most people diagnosed with skin cancer are over 40, it’s important for young Australians to understand the impact of the sun protection behaviors they are developing now,” Professor Cust said.

“The more you’re exposed to UV at a young age, the higher your risk of premature aging and developing skin cancer when you’re older.”