“G.T.L. baby. Gym. Tanning. Laundry.”

While I can’t exactly say that I enjoy MTV’s “The Jersey Shore,” I would have to agree that Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino has stated a daily routine of many girls and guys. First, the gym, always a good way to get healthy, then tanning, to keep your self looking fresh, and some laundry, for sanitary purposes. All needed to keep yourself looking good, right?

Maybe the first and last, but the middle one seems a little sketchy. Tanning beds have become an addiction for countless teenagers.

Everyone has had to question the original skin tone of a friend before. Yet, we continue to go, bronzing our skin until perfection. We’re only worried about what the effects will be in twenty minutes, versus the effects of twenty years. It’s a free country though, so go tan on.

But soon, that might all change.

While every state has either a 13 or 14 year old age minimum for tanning, security is about to get a lot tighter. A new Texas law requires you to be 16 and a half  to tan, and to bring a permission slip from either their parent or a physician before being allowed to tan. Once you hit 18 though, you’re off the hook. Sounds like the process to get a license to me.

You have to be 18 to buy cigarettes, 16 and a half to start to learn to drive, and 21 to drink. All of these actions have age limits because they are potentially dangerous to your health and/or require some sort of responsibility.

Personally, I think that it is good to see that someone is recognizing that tanning requires this too. Teens who become addicted at a younger age are obviously more likely to stick with the habit, leading to an outrageous increase in one’s chances of skin cancer — a threat that seems to be taken too lightly.

People are often grossed out by smoking and that someone could really “be dumb enough to smoke.” But fewer seem bothered by their daily tanning routines. Both of these actions put you at risk for cancer. Both of these actions need an age restriction.

So while Texas teens will be waiting around for summer to start to work on their tans this year, it may only be a couple months until northeastern states follow suit. The law may set a new standard in the country, possibly messing up your chances to get your “G.T.L.” on.

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