Australia has the world’s highest melanoma rate. Why are tanning products still being advertised?
Source: SBS News, February 2023
KEY POINTS
- A petition is calling for changes to how tanning products – such as oils – are advertised and marketed.
- It comes as influencers share ‘sunbaking routines’ and recommend tanning products on TikTok.
- Advocates fear awareness and education campaigns are failing to reach young Australians
Thousands of social media posts promoting sunbaking and tanning are sending harmful messages to young generations who may not know any better, advocates say.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the ‘slip, slop, slap’ campaign and warnings about the dangers of tanning were a prominent fixture of Australian childhood, but has our awareness around tanning and sun damage lapsed over the years?