Schools and sun protection

Sunburn in early life

Young skin is more delicate and vulnerable to damage. We also spend much more time outside in our first twenty years or so. So this is a crucial time to be SunSmart.

Teenagers and young adults: our focus for 2008

We have chosen to focus on young people as the key target group for the 2008 SunSmart campaign because:

• Excessive sun exposure and sunburn during early life affect melanoma risk later on in life.
• Malignant Melanoma is the third most common cancer in 15-24 year olds, accounting for 12% of the 1,732 cases of cancer in this age group.
• Teenagers and young adults are a key sun-seeking group and less likely to stay safe in the sun.
• Using a sunbed significantly increases your risk of skin cancer, particularly when you start at a young age.

Secondary schools, primary schools and nurseries

School pupils spend their school lunchbreaks outdoors over the peak UV hours. So it is important to offer sun protection in the summer term. Schools can become more SunSmart by:

• developing their own school sun protection policy
• incorporating sun protection into the school curriculum
• making sure they provide sufficient shade in the school grounds
• warning parents about the dangers of too much sun
• organising a SunSmart sports day.

Parents

Younger children are often too busy running around to worry about looking after their skin. But as a parent you can make a real difference to the damage your children receive early in life. On this site you can:

• find out why it is important for parents to protect their children's skin
• read tips about how you can keep children safe from the sun.

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