California Bans Tanning Beds for Under-18s
Photo: iStockphoto
The Golden State may be a little less, well, golden. Cali is cracking down on tanning bed use by those under 18.
No faux-glow in the 90210?
California governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a new bill that bans tanning beds for anyone under the age of 18, making it the first state to impose a high age ban, the Huffington Post reports.
The ban, which goes into effect on January 1, 2012, follows a similar, albeit less stringent law in Texas that prohibits children under the age of 16 from faking and baking. According to the bill's author, California state Sen. Ted Lieu, New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, and Ohio are considering following suit.
Though the state's tanning salons—which are currently banned for those 14 and under, but allowed for teens aged 15 to 17 with parental approval—say their businesses will take a hit, Lieu and his supporters maintain that the age restriction will limit teens' exposure to harmful UV radiation.
"Girls in affluent California communities especially are surrounded by the message that being tanned all year round is cool," bill supporter Christina Clarke of the Cancer Prevention Institute of California says in a statement. "Pop music star Katy Perry is even singing about it."
Hey, there's always self-tanner ...
Meanwhile, West Hollywood is also trying to crack down on the sale of fur.
