About one in seven young adults aged 18 to 24 in the UK used a sunbed over the past year, doubling the national average across all age groups according to a 2025 YouGov survey.
Against this backdrop, the Committee for Advertising Practice (CAP) has launched a UK-wide enforcement notice banning tanning firms from downplaying cancer risks or making misleading health claims.
The Committee for Advertising Practice said that the notice aims to send a clear message that advertisers must not present sunbeds as safe or as treatments for medical conditions.
Earlier this year, the BBC identified hundreds of social media videos claiming the tanning devices could boost energy, improve brain function, reduce inflammation, boost circulation, and treat skin conditions or mental health problems. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which enforces the CAP code, previously banned five adverts that claimed sunbeds could help manage conditions including osteoporosis and depression.
The CAP warned that these claims are potentially harmful and could discourage customers from seeking appropriate medical treatment or advice.
“Sunbeds carry serious health risks, including an increased risk of skin cancer.”
said CAP compliance executive James Burnett, adding that ads should not downplay those risks or present sunbed use as a way to improve health. The new enforcement notice specifically warns businesses not to make medical claims, promote sunbeds as a source of vitamin D, or suggest that sunbeds are safe.
Cancer charities and doctors maintain that the machines are linked to higher rates of melanoma and other skin cancers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), using a sunbed before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 59% later in life.
Rosie Vare, health information manager at the Teenage Cancer Trust, said that skin cancer is one of the most common forms of the disease in young adults and welcomed the stricter enforcement.
“We want young people to be properly informed about the risk of sunbed use and we recommend using trusted, regulated sources to find out information such as the NHS or cancer charities,” she said.
Sunbed use remains legal and regulated across the UK, subject to UV light strength limits and an under-18 ban. The Sunbed Association, representing about half of the UK’s tanning salons, said that its members train staff to screen out high-risk customers with very fair skin and restrict individuals from purchasing more than 60 sessions a year.
Gary Lipman, chairman of the organisation, said that he would never encourage members to use health claims to promote their products.
“We fully support action against misleading advertising. But there is a world of difference between claiming something is risk free and explaining that a business operates responsibly,” he said.
Advertisers have been given until December 7, 2026, to ensure their marketing claims comply with the rules. The CAP stated it will employ an AI-based monitoring system to identify advertisements that continue to break the rules and will take further action where needed.
