Young and the reckless urged to save their skin

A new study reveals only 12 per cent of young Australians aged 18 to 29 admit they take any measures to proactively protect themselves from skin cancer.

Sun-smart friends George Dovellos, 22, and Maddie Missikos, 27 – at Sydney’s Rose Bay beach – say they are aware of the risks of skin cancer and will get checked. Picture: Britta Campion / The Australian

Younger Australians are more at risk of contracting skin cancer than ever before – and yet they are frighteningly ignorant about how to protect themselves from it.

A new study reveals only 12 per cent of young Australians aged 18 to 29 admit they take any measures to proactively protect themselves from skin cancer.

The findings come as social media giant TikTok announced it will actively ban videos from its platform that encourage tanning, and will launch an educational program which will appear in search results for topics around tanning, summer and sunburn.

Concerns are growing about skin cancer awareness, especially among young Australians, with overexposure to UV radiation estimated to cause over 95 per cent of skin cancers in Australia.

Research commissioned by life insurer TAL as part of an annual skin safety awareness program, TAL SpotChecker, also found 27 per cent of younger Australians never examine their skin for signs of skin cancer and 38 per cent have never had a skin check.

With Australia having some of the highest skin cancer incidence and mortality rates in the world, the nation has seen successful public health “scare campaigns” in the past – but now, such campaigns are rare.

Only one in four Australians knows how to properly self-check their skin, with fewer than 9 per cent checking every month.

The research also shows a growing portion of people, 23 per cent, say they never self-check their skin, which is up from 19 per cent last year.

For younger Australians aged 18-29, 27 per cent have never self-checked their skin and 38 per cent have never had a skin check.

TAL general manager of health services Priya Chagan told The Australian the research suggests Australians could be falling into a false sense of security when it comes to sun safety.

She said people could suffer “incidental sun exposure” with such simple acts as driving or even ­sitting near a window at work.

“It’s no surprise that we are being exposed to the sun regularly at times when not adequately protected,” Dr Chagan said.

Friends George Dovellos, 22 and Maddie Missikos, 27, say it is easy to overlook the simple procedure of getting checked.

“Because we’re young you don’t really think that it can happen to you, but obviously it definitely can,” Mr Dovellos said.

“And we’re all in the sun so much, it’s probably a better idea that we get checked,” he said. “I’m so much more aware of the sun when I’m at the beach with my mates but it’s those little times in the sun that I just tend to forget about it.”

Ms Missikos says she got her skin checked professionally twice after her dad had melanoma spots cut out, but she has not returned for a check in a year and a half.

“I had a lot of peace of mind and I think that’s why I should have gone back earlier to get my skin checked, but it’s been a year and a half since so I’m very much due for it,” the sales manager said.

A free skin cancer spot check is available at Manly Beach this weekend.