A study from the American Academy of Pediatrics found children's sunburn and tanning behavior increased the risk of skin cancer. Here are facts about skin cancer, sunburn, tanning and sunscreen use for children.
* The American Cancer Society says one of every two cancer cases is some form of skin cancer. According to WebMD last year, 2 million people reported an estimated 3.7 million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer in 2009.
* ACS says exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun and past history of sunburn are the most common ways to get skin cancer. People with fair skin are also more sensitive to sun exposure and cancers.
* Kids' Health says while children don't commonly develop skin cancer, some cases appear in people as young as 20. Parents are warned that early exposure to sunburns and excessive unprotected sun exposure has been linked to skin cancer in adulthood.
* According to Kids' Health by the time they are 18 kids will have gotten 50 percent to 80 percent of their sun time in. Pediatrics reports that by age 11, more than 50 percent of kids had gotten at least one serious sunburn. 53 percent got sunburned at least once in the previous summer.
* The Pediatrics study tracked kids' sun habits at age 11 and followed up at age 14. The study found kids spent the same amount of time in the sun at both ages, but use of sunscreen had dropped off; only 25 percent of teens reported using sunblock, even with low sun protection factor of 4 to 15.
* In 2010, the American Academy of Dermatology reported that tanning beds were problematic for teens. Indoor tanning with UV light increased the risk of melanoma by as much as 75 percent. Of the 28 million people who frequent tanning salons, 75 percent are girls and women ages 16 to 29. In 2010, the Food and Drug Administration warned parents about tanning beds. Several states considering making it illegal for parents to let kids under 18 use tanning booths.
* The key, WebMD says, is moderation. The sun is an important source of vitamin D; parents should limit their kids' sun time to 30-minute periods, avoid direct sun from noon to 2 p.m. and insist on sunscreen.
Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about parenting from 25 years raising four children and 25 years teaching K-8, special needs, adult education and home-school.
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