Since 2011 More Than 250 People Have Died While Taking Selfies

If anything defines the age in which we live it’s the selfie, but this modern phenomenon is not as harmless as it first appears, in fact, in a lot of cases it’s extremely deadly.

The BBC reports a new study shows that since 2011 more than 250 people have died in search of the perfect picture and drowning is the most common cause.

In total, there have been 259 cases where selfies had gone wrong in a big way. And the problem seems to be getting worse. In the last two years, there has been a marked increase in selfie deaths.

From 2011 to 2016, there was a total of 68 selfie deaths. Yet in 2016, that there was a sharp upturn of 98 deaths and in 2017, there were 93 incidents of selfie fatalities.

Men by far are the biggest victims. Statistics show that 72.5 percent men have died whilst taking a selfie compared with 27.5 percent of women.

The Millenial generation is the worst hit with 50 percent of all recorded deaths occurring in the 20-29 age group.

The next age group to have a similar occurrence of fatalities is the 10-19 bracket. There has been a recorded 36 percent of deaths within this generation.

The lead author of the study Agam Bansal explained to the Washington Post, “That selfie deaths have become a major public health problem.”

“If you’re just standing, simply taking it with a celebrity or something, that’s not harmful. But if that selfie is accompanied with risky behavior then that’s what makes the selfies dangerous.”

Mr. Bansal said that it appeared young people, especially those in India, were putting their lives at risk striving to capture the perfect selfie.

He added that likes on social media seem to be fueling this fierce fire.

“People want a perfect selfie because they want a lot of likes and shares on Facebook, Twitter or other social media, I don’t think this is worth compromising a life for such a thing.”

Apart from drowning, falling and transport accidents appear to be the most common cause of death when taking a selfie. But there have also been reports of death by fire, firearms, animals, and electrocution as well.

Researchers at the U.S. National Library of Medicine have put forward a recommendation that to reduce death, “no selfie zones” should be introduced at dangerous spots.

Problematic spots include the tops of mountains, tall buildings, and lakes, where many of the deaths occurred.

The study points out that the true number of selfie deaths could be even higher than previously thought because on many occasions the selfie is not named as the cause of death.

“It is believed that selfie deaths are underreported and the true problem needs to be addressed Certain road accidents while posing for selfies are reported as death due to Road Traffic Accident. Thus, the true magnitude of the problem is underestimated. It is therefore important to assess the true burden, causes, and reasons for selfie deaths so that appropriate interventions can be made.”