By Richard Jenkins
Nearly half of parents in the UK ‘aren’t worried’ about the danger of sun exposure to their children, according to shocking research.
A poll of 2,000 adults in the UK with kids aged 4-14 found more than 47 per cent of parents are either unaware or unworried about harmful rays from the sun.
According to the concerning stats, two thirds of parents aren’t sure how much sun cream to apply to their children.
The study was conducted by sun protection brand Garnier Ambre Solaire.
Charlotte Blanchard, Garnier UK & Ireland’s General Manager, said: “We know how challenging it can be to protect your little ones from the sun.
“It’s a challenge in itself to apply sun cream in the first place, then parents spend the rest of their time worrying whether they have used enough and when to re-apply.
“As a leading sun care brand we feel a responsibility to make this as easy as possible. That’s why we are proud to be partnering with Tesco to launch our Sun Safe UV Patch, a simple and truly visual way of understanding the UV levels your family are exposed to.”
The skincare giant is giving away over a million free Sun Safe UV Patches, which change colour to demonstrate the damage being caused that is often invisible to the naked eye.
Further data from the British Skin Foundation reports that at least 100,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the UK, killing over 2,500 people each year.
And getting sunburnt in childhood almost doubles the risk of developing melanoma skin cancer in adulthood.
More than a fifth of parents find it difficult to get their children to put sun cream on during the summer, and 15 per cent say their little ones never want their protection reapplied.
One in six parents didn’t know UV meant ultraviolet – and a third of those polled didn’t have a clue UVB rays could contribute to skin cancer.
Matthew Patey, CEO of the British Skin Foundation, said: “We know that UV damage in childhood significantly increases a person’s risk of cancer in adulthood, so it’s imperative that sun awareness is made an essential part of education both at home and school.”
ENDS
