{
  "id": 7581918,
  "title": "Social media is promoting harmful attitudes towards sun exposure | Letter",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/social-media-is-promoting-harmful-attitudes-towards-sun-exposure",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-15T15:51:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Health",
    "slug": "guardian-health",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/sep/15/social-media-is-promoting-harmful-attitudes-towards-sun-exposure"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dr Amy Perkins, a consultant dermatologist with expertise in social media's impact on health, argues that banning commercial sunbeds is necessary to combat the rising rates of melanoma. She points out that awareness campaigns alone are insufficient to address the problem. Perkins highlights how social media platforms normalize harmful attitudes towards sun exposure due to their algorithms that promote content likely to elicit strong reactions. Extreme tanning routines, sensational before-and-after images, and misleading health claims spread more easily than balanced medical advice on social media.\n\nPerkins has previously criticized irresponsible sunbed advertising, including claims that sunbeds offer health benefits. She emphasizes that UV radiation from sunbeds is categorized as a Group 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization's cancer agency. This classification underscores the extreme danger posed by commercial sunbeds. Therefore, she advocates for a complete prohibition on the use of these establishments to protect public health.",
  "summary": "An awareness campaign isn’t enough. The UK should ban commercial sunbeds, writes Dr Amy Perkins Rising melanoma rates demand more than another awareness campaign ( Editorial, 7 August ). As a consultant dermatologist with a special interest in the health impacts of social media, I see how digital platforms are normalising harmful attitudes towards sun exposure, while the sunbed industry thrives.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}