Mandatory ID checks will be introduced Sunbed shops across the UKas part of a government crackdown aimed at protecting young people from skin cancer.

Ministers said “stronger protections” were needed to help people “understand the risks, which can have deadly consequences”.

The measure targets businesses selling sunbed sessions to under-18s.

Proposals include banning unsupervised sessions and requiring ID checks to ensure users are over 18. Although it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to use sunbeds in the UK, children as young as 14 are still using them, according to a report from the Department of Health and Social Care.

The World Health Organization classifies sunbeds as a Group 1 carcinogen, the same as tobacco.

In 2009, a ruling by the International Agency for Research on Cancer stated that exposure to ultraviolet light from sunbeds is carcinogenic and causes melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, and other skin cancers.

Health Minister Karin Smith said: “We need stronger protection for sunbeds so people understand the risks, which can have deadly consequences.”

“The evidence is clear: there is no safe level of sunbed use and yet too many young people are being exposed to known carcinogens with little understanding of the risks.

“These proposals will crack down on fraudsters and ensure the law is properly enforced. Prevention saves lives and we will do everything we can to protect people from avoidable cancers.”

The plan will form part of the government’s next national cancer plan, which could be consulted from spring 2026 and come into force from 2027.

The consultation process will also seek input from businesses in the tanning industry to examine the cost of new requirements and ensure they are legally enforceable and improve public safety.

Other regions will begin collecting new evidence to understand whether further measures to reduce skin cancer cases are warranted.

According to figures from Cancer Research UK, there are 17,600 new cases of melanoma skin cancer and around 2,500 deaths each year.

Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England’s national medical director, said: ‘Sunburn may only last a few weeks, but the damage can last a lifetime.

“Sunbeds expose the skin to high levels of UV radiation, increasing the risk of melanoma and other skin cancers, especially for young people.”

Louise Dodds, from Bexley, Kent, is living with melanoma.

She said: “My melanoma was discovered completely by chance during an unrelated personal consultation. The dark, itchy mole was immediately removed and within a week I was told it was a stage 1B melanoma.

“I was shocked to hear the word cancer. I was rushed back into the NHS system for further operations and lymph node tests, all within a few weeks. The surgery and wait for the results was grueling.

“Some results were clear, others were inconclusive, and I lived in constant anxiety. If I had known sooner how dangerous UV rays and sun exposure were, I never would have taken the risk.”

Susannah Daniels, chief executive of Melanoma Focus, said: “The need for action is clear with 34% of 16-17 year olds in the UK using sunbeds, despite them being illegal for under 18s.”

“Additionally, the incidence of melanoma in the UK has increased significantly.

“To protect your skin and reduce your chances of being diagnosed with melanoma and other skin cancers, we strongly recommend that you avoid using sunbeds. Melanoma skin cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK.”

“Now is the time to act, and we support the actions the Department of Health and Human Services is proposing.”