Indoor tanning among teenagers and young adults has plummeted to just 3% in recent years, down from 8.6% in 2013, marking a significant public health victory. However, this progress comes with a troubling caveat: young people haven't abandoned tanning altogether. Instead, they've shifted to outdoor sunbathing, a trend that dermatologists say carries equally serious health risks.

Why Did Indoor Tanning Decline So Sharply?

The collapse of campus tanning culture played a major role. In 2015, nearly half of America's top 125 colleges and universities had tanning beds on campus or in nearby off-campus housing, with some institutions even allowing students to pay for tanning sessions using their meal cards. Today, that landscape has transformed dramatically. Tanning salons near college campuses have closed, and universities have severed relationships with tanning facilities.

A 2025 study from Northwestern Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco, provided a powerful incentive for this shift: the research found that indoor tanning can triple your risk of skin cancer compared to those who have never used tanning beds. Combined with increased health awareness following the COVID-19 pandemic and targeted educational campaigns like the Skin Smart Campus initiative, these factors contributed to the steep decline.

"With indoor tanning, that's where the good news is: We're looking at maybe only 3% of young adults and teenagers using tanning beds anymore," said Sherry Pagoto, a licensed clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Connecticut who has studied tanning bed culture.

Sherry Pagoto, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Professor, University of Connecticut

What's Driving the Shift to Outdoor Tanning?

Despite the decline in indoor tanning, a 2025 survey by the American Academy of Dermatology revealed a troubling statistic: 25% of Gen Z participants said that getting a tan was important to them, regardless of future health consequences or aesthetic impact. Half of Gen Z respondents reported getting a sunburn in 2024.

Social media has supercharged the appeal of natural tans. Searches for "tanning" are growing more than 30% year over year on Google, TikTok, and Instagram, according to data analytics firm Spate Data. Creators on these platforms share "tanning credentials," posting photos of bronzed skin alongside rules like "being consistent" and sitting out every day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Some even track the UV Index using smartphone apps specifically designed for optimizing sun exposure and creating timed tanning routines.

This trend is not evenly distributed across demographics. While formal research on this topic is limited, a 2008 study found that white women were most likely to use indoor tanning beds, and a 2013 study reported that 29.3% of non-Hispanic white female high school students used indoor tanning beds, with 16.7% doing so frequently. Meanwhile, colorism has led many Black and brown women to practice what researchers call "religious avoidance of the sun".

How to Protect Your Skin While Enjoying the Outdoors

• Use Broad-Spectrum Sunscreen: Apply SPF 30 or higher daily, even on cloudy days, and reapply every two hours or after swimming. The Skin Smart Campus initiative found that on-campus sunscreen dispensers significantly increased students' regular use of SPF 30+ products.
• Avoid Peak UV Hours: Limit sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun's rays are strongest. Tanning creators often target 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., precisely when UV intensity is highest.
• Consider Sunless Alternatives: Spray tanning and at-home tanning products have improved significantly in recent years and offer a safer way to achieve a tan without UV exposure or skin cancer risk.
• Monitor the UV Index: Check daily UV forecasts before spending extended time outdoors, and plan outdoor activities when the index is lower.

Dermatologists acknowledge the appeal of a tan but emphasize the real danger. "The victory around tanning beds is a good one because they are particularly dangerous, but the sun is not safe either," noted Pagoto. She expressed hope that more people would shift toward sunless tanning options, given the innovations now available in spray tanning and at-home products.

Dermatologists

The challenge ahead is clear: public health campaigns successfully reduced indoor tanning, but they must now address the resurgence of outdoor sun exposure among young people. As social media continues to celebrate bronzed skin, dermatologists are working to educate the next generation about the long-term consequences of UV exposure, whether it comes from a tanning bed or the midday sun.