Washington Walks Away From the Teen Tanning Ban
After more than ten years in limbo, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has dropped its plan to keep minors out of tanning beds. Canada's provinces settled this question years ago.
What the FDA dropped
In December 2015 the FDA proposed two rules for sunlamp tanning beds: a ban on use by anyone under 18, and a requirement that adult users sign a form acknowledging the cancer risk before their first session and periodically after that. More than 9,000 public comments came in. Many were from the tanning industry, which argued for personal choice and disputed the evidence linking early UV exposure to melanoma.
In March 2026 the FDA formally withdrew the proposal (Federal Register, 16 March 2026). A memo from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited "scientific and technical concerns" and "possible unintended consequences." An HHS spokesperson said the agency was reassessing "how to balance public health considerations with consumer access and choice," while adding that the withdrawal does not change the established science: UV exposure, including from sunlamps, increases skin cancer risk.
Before his appointment, Kennedy pledged on X to end the government's "aggressive suppression" of a list of things that included "sunshine." He has said in an interview that he tans himself.
How doctors reacted
Dermatologists called the decision a public-health setback. The American Academy of Dermatology's president, Dr. Susan Taylor, had described the proposed rules as a "huge" step forward. Dr. Hunter Shain of the University of California, San Francisco said the case against tanning beds is at least as strong as the case against tobacco. Dermatologists quoted in Dermatology Times said they are seeing skin cancer in younger patients and that the U.S. is now back to a patchwork of state laws.
About 19 states and the District of Columbia already ban indoor tanning for anyone under 18. In the rest, rules range from parental consent to almost nothing.
The science hasn't changed
- In 2009 the World Health Organization's cancer agency, IARC, classified UV-emitting tanning devices as Group 1: carcinogenic to humans, the same category as tobacco smoke and asbestos.
- IARC's 2007 analysis found that people who start indoor tanning before age 30 have about a 75% higher risk of melanoma.
- A tan is the skin's response to DNA damage. There is no such thing as a safe tan from a sunbed.
How Canada compares
Every Canadian province now restricts commercial tanning for minors. ISCAN campaigned for these laws, starting in Waterloo and London, Ontario. According to the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer:
| Province / territory | Minimum age for commercial tanning |
|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories | 19 |
| Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia | 18 * |
| Yukon, Nunavut | Not addressed in the CPAC summary |
* Manitoba allows a minor to tan with a parent present and a medical prescription; Saskatchewan and British Columbia allow it with a prescription. Source: CPAC summary, February 2019. Check your province's current law.
Laws only work if they're enforced. If you see a salon letting teenagers tan, report it to your local public health unit, and let ISCAN know.
For more on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s record on health policy, see our sister site QuackeryWatch.
More from the 2026 Watch
Sources
- NPR (via WRVO): FDA backs off stricter tanning bed rules with RFK Jr.'s support (19 Mar 2026)
- Dermatology Times: Addressing concerns as FDA pulls proposed tanning bed ban for minors
- HealthDay: FDA drops plan to ban tanning beds for minors nationwide (20 Mar 2026)
- AIM at Melanoma: Melanoma legislation progress report
- Canadian Partnership Against Cancer: Provincial and territorial regulation of commercial tanning
This page is consumer information, not personal medical advice. If you have a new or changing mole, see a doctor or dermatologist. Last updated 2 November 2026.