Newspaper editorial boards are starting to catch on that restricting teen-aged patrons from professional tanning salons should not be the government’s decision, but rather should be a parent’s decision.

“This is not tobacco. This is not alcohol,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “This is a surrogate for something that nature wants people to get: sunlight. To say that any UV is dangerous and should be avoided is akin to saying that water causes drowning, and therefore we should avoid water. It’s a misrepresentation. And some newspaper editorial boards are starting to figure that out.”

There is a difference between teaching teens to avoid overexposure and intentionally misleading them to avoid any and all exposure.

Utah’s Standard Examiner wrote an editorial calling a proposed under-18 ban in Utah “a bad idea.” Click here to read that editorial.

The York Dispatch (Pennsylvania) also penned an editorial calling parental consent a better regulation than an outright tan ban for teens. Click here to read it.