RFK Jr. Kills FDA's Tanning Bed Ban for Kids, Cites Personal Choice

A proposed federal rule that would’ve shielded minors from tanning bed use is now dead in the water — and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, just pulled the plug.

Kennedy withdrew the FDA’s proposed rule titled“General and Plastic Surgery Devices: Restricted Sale, Distribution, and Use of Sunlamp Products,”which had been sitting since its publication in the Federal Register on December 22, 2015. In his March 2026 withdrawal letter, Kennedy cited three main reasons: support for personal choice and parental decision-making, the availability and relative safety of sunlamp production alternatives, and the compliance burdens on small businesses. He also pointed to scientific concerns and potential unintended consequences raised during the public comment period, signaling the FDA would reconsider how — or whether — to regulate tanning bed access at all.

The timing and reasoning raise eyebrows, especially as skin cancer remains America’s most common cancer. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, roughly 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer at some point in their lifetime. Meanwhile, the wellness and influencer ecosystem has been increasingly vocal about ditching sunscreen and promoting higher sun exposure, despite what dermatologists recommend. Dr. Vinod Nambudiri, a dermatologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, told The New York Times that people should use at least SPF 30 sunscreen — and there’s no harm in going higher.

Kennedy’s track record on health matters has drawn considerable scrutiny. He ran for president in 2024 before ending his campaign and endorsing then-candidate Donald Trump, who now occupies the White House. Kennedy is known for promoting health conspiracy theories, including vaccine skepticism and claims that have been widely debunked. In 2021, he suggested Black people should follow a different vaccine schedule than white people because their immune systems are“stronger”— a racist medical trope that decades of science have thoroughly rejected. During a February 12 appearance on the“This Past Weekend With Theo Von”podcast, Kennedy also claimed he isn’t“afraid”of germs because he used to snort cocaine off toilet seats, framing it as evidence that rigorous disease prevention protocols aren’t necessary.

The withdrawal of the tanning bed rule reflects a broader deregulatory push within the current administration. But it also highlights a tension: personal choice rhetoric can sound appealing until you’re talking about exposing children to documented carcinogenic devices. Whether this marks the start of a broader rollback on public health protections remains to be seen.