Christie Signs Teen Tanning Law Despite Small Business Concerns

Teens looking to get tan this summer should read a new bill that passed in New Jersey on Monday and restricts certain types of tanning for minors.

The new law bans anyone under 18 from using a tanning bed and anyone under 14 from getting a spray tan. 

Gov. Christie signed the bill into law Monday and issued a lengthy signing statement expressing a desire to protect children from the skin cancer while keeping the rights of businesses — especially small businesses — intact.  

"Even if motivated by good intentions, rules and restrictions on the use of property, the exercise of rights, and the opportunities to prosper can have a corrosive effect on our State’s growth, and the lives of our citizens," Christie said. "When the regulations in question fall largely upon our State’s small businesses, those concerns are particularly important, and require a sensitive and sensible approach to policy."

People who begin using a tanning bed before the age of 35 increase their risk for skin cancer by 75 percent, according to one statistic cited by the governor. 

"I sign this bill because of the documented and well-understood risks associated with misuse of indoor tanning systems," Christie said. "According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the overuse of indoor tanning has been associated with an increased risk for skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the United States."

The legislation was written after Nutley resident Patricia Krentcil was accused of taking her 5-year-old daughter into a tanning booth last year. She was subsequently charged with child endangerment. The deeply tanned Krentcil became a grotesque sort of celebrity, with tabloids dubbing her Tanning Mom.

New Jersey already bans anyone 14 or younger from using indoor tanning beds because of the risk of melanoma.

The American Suntanning Association, a coalition of professional tanning salon operators, said Tuesday they were disappointed that Christie and the legislature decided to supersede the authority of parents. 

"Just as parents have guided their children to avoid sunburn while enjoying days at the beach or playing little league the same should be the case for sun beds," the association said in a release. "We worked diligently to offer a compromise including stricter regulations, more enforcement and fines and greater parental control, New Jersey has let hysteria supersede the balance between parental rights and effective policy." 

The group fears that the law would drive teens to riskier alternatives like home tanning beds and beaches.

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