01/14/2026
Please read and share this message. It could save lives!
This may ruffle a few feathers, but it needs to be said — for awareness.
Over the past few days, I’ve come across several influencers heavily promoting sunbed use. This genuinely saddens me. Influencers hold influence for a reason — people look up to them, trust them, and are often encouraged to copy what they say and do.
One influencer openly told her audience she would be using a sunbed with the hottest tubes every day for a week.
Another filmed content while actively on a sunbed.
These messages may seem harmless to some, but they are not.
Young people, in particular, are highly influenced by social media platforms like TikTok, which are used by millions of children and teenagers every single day. When harmful behaviours are normalised or glamorised online, the risks are very real — especially when it comes to skin cancer.
Melanoma is one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer and is on the rise, including among younger people.
Research consistently shows that using sunbeds significantly increases the risk of melanoma, especially when exposure starts at a young age.
Sunbeds emit concentrated UV radiation — in many cases stronger than natural sunlight — and there is no such thing as a “safe” tan.
What is even more worrying is hearing that school-aged children are reportedly visiting an unmanned sunbed shop during their lunch breaks, using token-operated machines.
That should alarm all of us.
Children should never have access to sunbeds, and this highlights a serious safeguarding issue.
We all have a responsibility — especially those with large platforms — to protect our own skin and, just as importantly, to protect the next generation.
Promoting or normalising sunbed use sends a dangerous message at a time when awareness, prevention, and education are more important than ever.
This isn’t about shaming anyone. It’s about awareness, accountability, and protecting lives.
Your skin is not worth the risk. Neither is theirs.