How parents think about sunscreen for their kids

Although the majority of parents recognize the important of wearing sunscreen to prevent skin cancer and sunburn, the practice looks a little different in reality, according to a new survey. Researchers surveyed more than 1,100 parents of kids ages 5-12, and found that 11% don't have a minimum SPF they would choose for their child, while nearly half report choosing sunscreen with SPF 45 or higher (the higher the SPF, the greater the protection against harmful rays from the sun). At the same time, many parents' views on reapplying sunscreen seemed varied: 81% say they would try to reapply sunscreen within a couple of hours if their child was playing in water, but only 25% said they would reapply it if it was a cloudy day (even though UV rays can penetrate clouds).