My friend isn’t alone, though. The hashtag #tanningbed has an enormous 296 million views and counting on TikTok. There, you’ll see predominantly young women sharing tanning tips or talking about the supposed skin benefits of sunbeds. (To be clear, there are none.) I’m not telling you this story to shame my friend — or any of us for that matter. But our collective nonchalance towards sun safety and the impact of UV is a growing cause for concern among doctors, dermatologists and skin cancer charities. Research by the British Association of Dermatologists shows that 84% of British people have an unhealthy relationship with tanning. It’s a similar story on the other side of the Atlantic: A 2023 survey by the American Academy of Dermatology found that 40% of Gen Z adults are unaware of tanning risks while 59% believe tanning myths, such as tanning is healthy and that getting a ‘base tan’ will prevent sunburn. More alarmingly, 20% of those surveyed said that getting a tan is more important to them than preventing skin cancer.