Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Ends Proposed Ban on Tanning Beds for Minors Citing ‘Personal Choice’

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has withdrawn a proposed FDA rule that would’ve banned tanning bed use for minors.

“The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the withdrawal of the proposed rule titled ‘General and Plastic Surgery Devices: Restricted Sale, Distribution, and Use of Sunlamp Products,’ which published in the Federal Register of December 22, 2015,” RFK Jr. the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services for President Donald Trump’s administration, wrote in a March 2026 withdrawal letter.

“FDA is taking this action because it no longer intends to finalize the proposed rule,” the controversial HHS secretary continued, citing “support for personal choice and parental decision-making; availability and relative safety of sunlamp production alternatives; and compliance burdens on small businesses.”

“In light of the scientific and technical concerns raised in the comments on the Proposed Rule, concerns regarding possible unintended consequences of certain proposals in the Proposed Rule, and potential alternatives proposed in comments received on the Proposed Rule, FDA is withdrawing the Proposed Rule in order to reconsider the best means for addressing the issues covered by the Proposed Rule and related issues regarding access to sunlamp products,” Kennedy added.

While skin cancer remains the most common form of cancer — an estimated 1 in 5 Americans develop skin cancer at some point in their lifetime, according to the American Academy of Dermatology — wellness influencers have increasingly advocated for more sun exposure while denouncing sunscreen and similar products as harmful or toxic.