Hop onto TikTok and you’ll find lots of videos of young people — mostly women — fake baking under the glowing UV lights of a tanning bed. Seattle dermatologist Heather Rogers says this is an alarming trend that comes after years of decline in indoor tanning in the U.S.
She points to a 2025 survey from the American Academy of Dermatology which found 20% of Gen Z respondents prioritize getting a tan over protecting their skin. And 25% say it’s worth looking great now even if it means looking worse later.
They feel like “it’s better to be tan than it is to worry about skin cancer,” Rogers says.


I honestly thought that Gen Z was the generation to finally break out of so many bad habits but as best I can tell, angry social media has turned them into the new Boomers.
No way, they were the ones who were all ripping juuls at age 13, jumping on 4chan and getting fed gamergate and eating it right up, but hey they don’t drink or something.
You’re thinking Millenials for the first one but yes on the second. They don’t drink or have sex and are less likely to buy property but will do all the narcissistic shit the Boomers did.
I’m a millennial. Juuls weren’t a thing til we were in our 20s.