Tanning age-restriction increased across the country this past year.

Effective in most states January 1 of this year, people under the age of 18 are prohibited under law to use tanning beds, sun lamps, and other indoor tanning devices in an attempt to prevent early onset skin cancer.

Previously, the law in most states prohibited tanning for those under 14 years of age and allowed tanning for those 14 to 17 years of age only with legal parental consent.

There are already worries that the new law may cause tanning salons to lose heaps of customers, forcing stores into having to close their doors. But if a salon chooses to violate the new law, they may be fined $250 per violation.

New Jersey governor Chris Christie sig ned the bill, giving this statement: “Confidence in the current laws, rather than a rush to add new and perhaps unnecessary provisions, would have seemed the appropriate legislative response,” he said, “nonetheless, I sign this bill because of the documented and well-understood risks associated with misuse of indoor tanning systems.”

Not everyone is onboard with the whole idea.

“We are concerned that these changes will burden our members with additional unnecessary governmental costs in an already difficult economic climate,” says John Overstreet, executive director of the Indoor Tanning Association.

Despite the uproar of disapproval from tanners under the age of 18, the law was put in place for people’s health and safety.

The UV rays from tanning beds and sun lamps cause skin cancer, which is the most prevalent type of cancer in America.  And it’s particularly dangerous for minors.  According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, UV rays can be more damaging when exposed to children and teenagers than when exposed to adults.  The United Kingdom Cancer Research website found that the use of tanning beds before the age of 35 will increase one’s risk of malignant melanoma skin cancer by 59 percent.

Remember that tanning for 20 minutes in a tanning bed is similar to being exposed to the sun outdoors for three hours.

International Agency for Research on Cancer says that “policymakers should consider enacting mea