Sunbed ads spreading harmful misinformation to young people

"Harmful misinformation claiming sunbeds offer health benefits in winter is being spread by tanning companies on social media, the BBC has found. We have identified hundreds of adverts on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook saying sunbeds can boost energy and treat skin conditions or mental health problems. One suggested that going on a sunbed for "eight minutes" could prevent colds and flu, while another claimed that UV rays could "stimulate the thyroid gland" to help someone lose weight."

"Our findings come after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned six tanning adverts for making irresponsible health claims or suggesting sunbeds were safe. Cancer charities and doctors are clear about the risks of using sunbeds - and say the machines are linked to higher rates of melanoma and other skin cancers. Using a bed before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 59% later in life, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)."

"The Sunbed Association, which represents half the UK's tanning shops, says the ASA and WHO are using "outdated data", but encourages its members not to use medical claims in advertising. Young people are by far the biggest sunbed users in the UK - about one in seven 18-to-24-year-olds say they used one in the past year, double the average for all age groups."

Harmful misinformation on social platforms claims sunbeds offer winter health benefits, including energy boosts and treatments for skin or mental health conditions. Hundreds of adverts on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook promote specific claims such as eight-minute sessions preventing colds or UV rays stimulating the thyroid to aid weight loss. Regulators have banned adverts and health bodies warn that sunbed use increases melanoma and skin cancer risk, with use before age 35 raising melanoma risk by 59% according to WHO. The Sunbed Association disputes the data but discourages medical advertising. Young adults are the largest users and many under-25s wrongly believe sunbeds reduce cancer risk.

Read at www.bbc.com