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New age recommendations for kids wearing sunscreen

Posted at 6:50 AM, Mar 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-22 08:43:48-04

(CNN) – Before a baby learns to walk, they should get used to never leaving the house without sunscreen.

That's according to new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts.

That's a drastic change from previous recommendations.

The change updated previous guidelines from 2012 that suggested skin cancer prevention and education begin at age ten.

Now, it says it should begin when a child is six months old.

Doctors are now encouraged to suggest babies start using sunscreen and wear protective clothing when going outdoors.

The task force says children and teens exposed to the sun's harmful UV rays are at greater risk for developing skin cancer as adults.