Assembly to Review Teen Tanning Bill

A bill authored by state (D-Torrance) that would prohibit teens under 18 from using indoor tanning beds is now to be reviewed by the state Assembly.

The state Senate on June 1 approved the measure in a 24-9 vote. Lieu's state Senate 28th District includes Redondo Beach.

"The science is clear: use of tanning beds causes skin cancer," Lieu said in a statement following the Senate vote. "The younger kids are when they start using these tanning beds, the greater the damage to their skin, and the more likely they are to die of skin cancer."

Current law requires teens between 14 and 17 to obtain permission from a parent or guardian to use tanning beds, and children under 14 are already banned from using the devices.

If Senate Bill 746 is signed into law, California would be the first in the country with such a ban on tanning beds for minors, according to Lieu’s office, adding that several countries in Europe, including France and England, have restricted teens under 18 from using tanning beds.

The Indoor Tanning Association has rallied business owners, workers and customers to write letters against the proposed ban to their representatives in the state Assembly. 

The proposed ban would "take away a very basic right of parents—the right to decide whether or not a teen can suntan indoors," according to a petition on the association's website. 

However, various medical groups stand in support of SB 746, and the California Society of Dermatology and Dermatological Surgery and the Aim at Melanoma Foundation sponsor the measure.

There are multiple tanning salons in Redondo Beach, including , , and .