To make the assumption that tanning beds are horrible for you is a false statement. They might not be the best for a person, but they don't harm them anymore than the sun would. People are out in the sun all the time. Whether it be the short time of walking from the house to the car, or laying out at the beach or pool. People are constantly in the sun. When laying in a tanning bed, people just increase the speed by which the sun is hitting them. Instead of laying out in the sun for 5 hours, they only have to lay in a tanning bed for 15 or 20 minutes. This is far more convenient and less time consuming then going out in the sun for that long. To say that they are unsafe is not accurate because then no one should be able to even go out in the sun.