Warning over young sun worshippers

31 May 2013 09:15

Safety first: But many children are unaware of the sun's dangers, according to a new survey

Safety first: But many children are unaware of the sun's dangers, according to a new survey

A new survey suggests that a fifth of children overall intend to sunbathe without sun cream this summer.

Superdrug's poll of 1,000 children aged six to 16 found half of those aged six to eight years want a bronzed complexion. It found a third of children will sunbathe at "every available opportunity".

The findings emphasise the need to get trusted medical travel insurance as holidaymakers never know when their children are going to suffer sunburn. Richard Cryne, Superdrug's sun care buyer, called the poll's results "really alarming". He said they show children have little regard or knowledge of the sun's dangers or the consequences of spending time in the burning sun without protection.

He added: "The average person receives 80% of their lifetime exposure to the sun by the time they're 18 years old. This means that good childhood habits when it comes to being safe in the sun aren't just a matter of preventing painful sunburn but can cause a real tangible difference to a person's chance of avoiding skin cancer later in life.

"That's why this summer we're working with national skin charity Skcin on the Sun Safe Schools campaign and hope to sign up 1,000 schools and nurseries to the awards scheme this year."

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