A mere 15 high schools in Western Australia are officially registered as SunSmart, sparking serious concern among health experts about the vulnerability of teenagers to skin cancer.
This starkly contrasts with the widespread adoption of 'no hat, no play' rules in primary schools, leaving adolescent students largely responsible for their own sun safety during a critical period for skin damage.
A Dangerous Discrepancy in Sun Safety
While over 400 primary schools in the state participate in the SunSmart program, the number plummets for secondary institutions. Cancer Council WA SunSmart manager Sally Blane revealed that parents are increasingly anxious about this sudden drop-off in sun protection measures once their children transition to high school.
Ms Blane advocates for brimmed or bucket hats to become a standard part of the high school uniform. She highlighted the powerful influence of peer pressure, stating, "We know there are some kids who really want to wear hats but because no one else is they don't." This has led to a troubling new trend where students who have never been sunburnt are suddenly getting sunburnt at school.
Compounding the issue, the official Department of Education’s sun protection policy for public schools does not mandate hat wearing, a primary defence against harmful UV rays.
Why Teenage Skin is Particularly Vulnerable
The risks are not merely theoretical. Skin cancer expert Dr Emily Alfonsi, medical director at Shade Skin clinics, identified this gap between primary and high school policies as a "concerning discrepancy."
"We know that adolescence is a peak risk for sunburn because they’ve got more time outside and often their lunch and recess is outside right in the middle of the day," Dr Alfonsi explained. The medical reality is stark: just one blistering sunburn during childhood can double a person's lifetime risk of developing melanoma.
Dr Alfonsi also pointed to the challenge of overcoming peer influence and persistent beauty standards that glorify tanning. "I do feel bad for teenagers... it can be really difficult to support them to make those good choices," she said.
Call for Low-Cost, High-Impact Solutions
Experts agree on a multi-pronged approach to bridge this safety gap. Key recommendations include:
- Making brimmed hats a compulsory part of the high school uniform.
- Significantly increasing shaded areas in schoolyards.
- Ensuring teachers lead by example by wearing hats themselves during outdoor duties.
- Integrating sun safety education into the curriculum.
Ms Blane emphasised the importance of teacher involvement, noting, "If teachers are out on duty without a hat and they’re telling kids to wear a hat it just doesn’t work." She also stressed that most schools simply do not have enough shade for all students to seek refuge during peak UV hours.
To achieve SunSmart registration, a school must demonstrate a comprehensive policy that includes mandatory hat use when the UV index is above three, sun-protective uniforms, educator role-modelling, a sun safety curriculum, and adequate shade provisions.
While acknowledging that high school students require a different approach due to growing independence and fashion consciousness, Ms Blane and Dr Alfonsi believe the solutions are within reach. "These interventions in high school are fairly low cost and easy to implement and you might really dramatically help down the track when these kids become adults," Dr Alfonsi concluded.
