The future skin health of the nation’s children is potentially at risk as parents admit that 59% of children under 18 have been sunburned at least once. Highlighted by a new British Skin Foundation survey of UK parents, this worrying statistic indicates that sun safety measures may not always being taken seriously.
A deeper dive into sun safety attitudes confirms that less than half of children, just 42%, carry and know how to use sunscreen in the summer. A shocking three-quarters, 75%, don’t understand the benefits of seeking shade in the summer and only 13% wear UPF clothing.
While 58% of children wear hats, only around a third, 34%, wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from UV rays.
Understanding of sun-safe behaviour is limited as only one in five children (21%) grasp that sun safety measures combine use of sunscreen, protective clothing including hats and sunglasses and seeking shade. Just 22% of children realise that sun protection is vital to their future health.
In a bid to boost sun safety and awareness, this summer, the British Skin Foundation launched a new sun safety campaign, ‘More, More, More,’ with a basic message to combine MORE protective clothing, MORE sunscreen and MORE shade to protect your skin.
The simple message can be understood by any age and is easily remembered. The campaign features five hero images, incorporating ages from young children to mature adults and is available in both poster and flyer format to all families, schools and communities.
"These days there are so many sources out there for people to turn to for advice, sometimes it can become overwhelming," says Consultant Dermatologist Dr Emma Wedgeworth.
"Combine that with tricky sunscreen labelling and confusing vitamin D messaging, people can just ‘check out’. Stripping the advice back to three fundamental steps helps to make the advice manageable and memorable."
Last month, the British Skin Foundation partnered with JCDecaux Community Channel to share the campaign across the UK, intending to improve long-term skin health for children and all ages.
The drive comes after this summer's VAT Burn campaign led by Scottish MP and Melanoma survivor Amy Callahan who is calling for the VAT to be scrapped on sunscreens to make them more affordable.