<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Almost a quarter of Aussie kids falsely believe having a suntan will protect them from long-term damage and skin cancer, new research claims.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Social media trends promoting tanning could be contributing to attitudes, with 49 per cent of young Aussies saying they prefer to be tanned, the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne's Child Health Poll said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The study, taking in responses from 1400 parents as well as one of their children aged between 12 and 17 years old, also found many teens lacked education or awareness of how to properly protect themselves from the sun or from the negative impacts of sunburn.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sunscreen-products-australia-testings-spf-ratings-explained/164c0a25-9cb0-4ccd-acb3-e0aae631bcfc" rel="" target="_blank" title="Sunscreens are being pulled from Australian shelves over SPF claim concerns - so how are they actually tested?"><strong><span>Sunscreens are being pulled from Australian shelves over SPF claim concerns - so how are they actually tested?</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We know there's a lot of trends on social media that highlight tan lines and even promote sunburn, and teenagers might not fully understand the risk tanning or sun exposure can pose," Dr Anthea Rhodes said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There's nothing healthy about a suntan, it's your skin's response to harm from the sun."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Around 44 per cent of teenagers surveyed admitted to being sunburnt multiple times in the last six months, with 60 per cent saying they knew they didn't use adequate protection from the sun when out in peak UV times.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/sunburn-skin-cancer-risk-australia/acfbf9f0-81a3-40c3-af09-d28ac0428782" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sunscreens-recalled-australia-spf-claims-confidence-drops-poll/a5a39bac-1e5d-460b-91a9-f408a9b158b4" rel="" target="_blank" title="Confidence in sunscreen SPF claims takes a hit after months of recalls"><strong><span>Confidence in sunscreen SPF claims takes a hit after months of recalls</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Dermatologist Dr Susan Robertson said the idea that children cannot get skin cancer is a myth.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Teens may think skin damage isn't something that will affect them until later in life, but we know that's not true," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"While it's not common to see young children with skin cancer, it sadly does happen in children as young as ten."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Experts tell parents to ensure their child wears enough sunscreen when going outside, even on a cloudy day, and to ensure they wear a hat, sunglasses and proper clothing to protect themselves from the threat of sunburn and long-lasting damage to their skin.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f"><em><strong><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727"><em><strong><span>Apple App Store</span></strong></em></a><span> </span><em><strong><span>and</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1"><em><strong><span>Google Play</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>.</span></strong></em></div></div>