00:00When it comes down to a choice between playing with your mates and putting on sunscreen,
00:04kids' brains just aren't wired to be able to make that safe choice.
00:09Applying sunscreen is one of the simplest ways Aussies can protect themselves in the harsh sun,
00:15especially when two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime.
00:21So we're asking schools across Australia to provide students with five minutes in the school day
00:27where their job is to sunscreen.
00:28Dr Kareth Whittakin launched a Change.org petition calling for a dedicated five-minute sunscreen break
00:36before lunch in every Australian school.
00:39We're not asking the schools to supply the sunscreen.
00:42We're not asking teachers to apply the sunscreen or to enforce the kids' sunscreen.
00:47We just want kids to have an opportunity to apply the sunscreen.
00:51A palliative care doctor and mum of two, Dr Whittakin said she became concerned
00:56after noticing a clear difference in sun safety between her children, one in primary school and one in kindy.
01:03What I really noticed was that my child who was in primary school was developing a tan
01:09and getting sun damage on his skin at a really alarming rate.
01:11More than 600 doctors have now signed an open letter backing the proposal.
01:16Ensuring that our children are able to apply sun protection for just five minutes of the day
01:23prior to going out during their lunch break when UV index is normally at its peak,
01:29we'll be able to save lives.
01:32Dr Rochelle Uwe-Hicks is a specialist general practitioner in the regional town of Orange.
01:38So last year alone, I excised 43 melanomas, and that is working part-time.
01:46One of the things that we know from our research is that young adults and teenagers in particular
01:52have the riskiest sun behaviours here in Australia.
01:56According to a recent Royal Children's Hospital survey,
02:0060% of teenagers did not use adequate sun protection when outdoors during peak UV times.
02:0951% of parents actually believe that it's the school's responsibility
02:13to ensure that their child or adolescent is protected from the sun.
02:20The survey concluded most Australian teenagers are not adequately protecting themselves
02:25from UV exposure, increasing their long-term risk of skin cancer.
02:31The federal government stopped short of backing the proposal directly,
02:35saying school operations are managed by states, territories and non-government authorities.
02:54Together with Dr Kareth Whittigan and 670 of my medical colleagues,
03:00we believe this is a free five-minute investment into our children's future,
03:07as well as the future of the nation.
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