Allowing children to get sunburn is ‘child abuse’ claim doctors
Parents who repeatedly don’t apply sunscreen on their children in the hot summer sun have been accused of child abuse by Dr Brad Frankum, a top Australian doctor and the President of Australian Medical Association NSW.
“Is it negligence? If a child burns themselves by tipping boiling water over themselves… I don’t see severe sunburn is any different,” Prof Frankum told the Daily Telegraph.
“If it happens repeatedly then that would be quite abusive really. It’s no different to burning your kid with something else.”
However, it might have to do more with “forgetfulness” rather than “intentional neglect”.
Prof Frankum warned parents who believed getting a tan was good for their child’s skin needed to be re-educated about the dangers of the sun and skin damage.
Parents are also being encouraged to make sure their children wear sunglasses when in the sun, since sun damage can cause serious conditions like cataracts and eye cancer later in life.
