Should tanning beds be banned for teens?

If a Manitoba MP has his way, Canadians under 18 will not be able to step foot into tanning equipment. (iStock) A Manitoba MP has introduced a private member's bill that would prevent youth under 18 from using tanning equipment.

James Bezan, Conservative MP for Selkirk-Interlake, said Bill 386 aims to protect teens from the skin cancer risks associated with sunbeds.

It would also force business owners to put health warnings on their tanning equipment.

Bezan admits to having used tanning beds in the past. He said he was spurred to action partly by melanoma scares in his own family.

The machines emit ultraviolet radiation that has been linked to the development of skin cancer.

"Indoor tanning devices are the cigarettes of today, and I think we need to regulate them in a similar manner," said Dr. Ian Landells, president of the Canadian Dermatology Association, who presented the bill with Bezan.

The proposed legislation is similar to a recent ban passed in California, the first state to do so in the U.S., which will take effect on the first day of 2012.

In Canada, only Nova Scotia and Victoria have banned indoor tanning for people under 19 and under 18, respectively.

Do you agree with the ban on tanning beds for minors? Do you use tanning beds? If so, would warnings on equipment cause you to reconsider?



(This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)

Related:

• Should minors be banned from using tanning beds? (U.S. case)
  
• How do you protect the safety of your skin?