Danish youth use UV index as tanning guide despite cancer warnings
Monday 1st June 2026 on 05:15 in
Denmark
Nearly half of young Danes aged 15 to 20 actively seek out high UV index days to sunbathe, according to new figures from the Danish Cancer Society, reversing the index’s intended purpose as a health warning.
A survey by the organisation found 45 percent of respondents in that age group check UV forecasts specifically to plan outdoor tanning sessions. “I use both a UV app and a regular weather app to see if I can lie out and get some colour when the weather’s nice,” said Mie Knudsen, 18, speaking in Aalborg’s Vestre Fjordpark.
Christian Eidhammer Kjær Larsen, another student interviewed by public broadcaster DR, confirmed the pattern: “If the UV is high, we go out to tan. Today, for example, we had a free period, so we checked the UV and headed outside to enjoy the weather.”
Health authorities warn that UV exposure—particularly during peak hours between 12:00 and 15:00 from April to September—significantly increases the risk of skin cancer. The Danish Health Authority and the Cancer Society recommend sun protection when the UV index reaches 3 or higher. On a clear summer day in Denmark, the index can climb to 7.
“Young skin is especially vulnerable to UV damage, which can cause wrinkles and, far more seriously, melanoma and other skin cancers over time,” said Mette Lolk Hanark, director of prevention at the Danish Cancer Society. She called the misuse of the UV index “completely reckless,” emphasising that it was designed to signal when protection—not exposure—is needed.
Despite the risks, students like 19-year-old Oskar Thorup Søndergaard admitted prioritising tanning over safety. “I checked the UV to see if I needed sunscreen—and obviously to see if I could get a tan,” he told DR. Mads Marquard Langballe, another student in the park, acknowledged the harm but justified the behaviour: “We know it’s damaging, but high UV means you’ll tan fastest. It saves time.”
The UV index, available via apps and the Danish Meteorological Institute’s website, measures the intensity of solar radiation based on cloud cover, the sun’s position, ozone thickness, and airborne particles. While small amounts of sun exposure help produce vitamin D, prolonged UV exposure—particularly UVA and UVB rays—damages skin cells and raises cancer risk.