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The next time you're on the edge of a scenic cliff or at the top of a waterfall, be careful when you feel like taking a quick selfie. It could very well be the last thing you do.
According to a new study by researchers associated with the Indian Institute of Medical Sciences, a group of public medical faculties based in New Delhi, more than 250 people have died taking selfies over the past six years. The findings, which analyzed the news of the 259 deaths related to a selfie from October 2011 to November 2017, were published in the July-August issue of the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.
Of the 259 deaths, researchers found the main cause of drowning, followed by transportation-related incidents – for example, taking a selfie in front of an approaching train – and falling from heights. Animals, firearms and electrocution are other causes of self-related deaths.
"Selfies deaths have become a major public health problem," said Agam Bansal, lead author of the study, at the Washington Post.
Although the study found that India has the highest number of deaths in any country, many cases of fatal selfies have also been reported in Russia, the United States, and Pakistan. Bansal noted that while taking a selfie is not deadly, the danger arises when people take risks trying to get the perfect photo.
"If you stand up, just take it with a celebrity or something, it's not dangerous," he said. "But if this selfie is accompanied by risky behavior, then that makes selfies dangerous."
"What worries me the most is that it's a cause of preventable death," Bansal said. "Take a toll on these many numbers just because you want a perfect selfie, because you want a lot of likes, shares on Facebook, Twitter or other social media, I do not think it's worth it to to compromise a life for such a thing. "
Bansal added that he was also concerned about the number of deaths related to self-interference involving young people. More than 85 percent of the victims were between 10 and 30 years old, said Bansal.
"They are the future of a nation," he said. "They did not even realize what their goals are. They do not even know what they want to do. These are just beginners in their life. "
Although the number of deaths reported in the study may seem high, Bansal said that there could be many more cases that simply have not been documented due to relationship issues.
In 2018 alone, several deaths related to selfies have already occurred. In May, a man in India attempted to take a selfie with a wounded bear and was mutilated to death, the Independent reported.
Last month, two people died in the United States in separate cases also involving selfies.
On September 5, an 18-year-old hiker from Jerusalem died after falling over 200 meters from a cliff in Yosemite National Park, according to ABC News. The man's mother said he was trying to take a selfie at the edge of the Nevada waterfall, a popular fall in the park when he fell, the Times of Israel reported.
About two weeks later, a 32-year-old woman, Sunnyvale, experienced a similar fate during a hike at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan, when she fell and died after stopping at the waterfront. a cliff of more than 200 feet to take selfies. the Detroit Free Press reported.
Mohit Jain, an orthopedic surgeon who did not participate in the recent study but did research into self-reported deaths, described the work of Banal and his colleagues, Chandan Garg and Abhijit Pakhare, as "really necessary" to "let people know that you can die taking a selfie." Jain released his own self-mortality study last year in the International Journal of Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion. "Sometimes , the eyes do not see if your mind does not know it. "
Jain's research revealed that 75 people had died trying to take selfies in 2014 in mid-2016.
"It's like a man-made disaster," he told The Post. "This is not a natural disaster."
One possible way to prevent the deaths of selfies would be "the absence of selfie areas," Bansal said, banning them in certain areas such as water plans, mountain peaks and at the top of tall buildings ".
Efforts to deter people from taking dangerous selfies have already been attempted in several countries, including India, Russia, and Indonesia.
Three years ago, Russia launched a campaign titled "Safe Selfie," entitled: "Even a million" I like "on social networks are not worth your life and your well-being," reported the BBC. An informative graphic containing icons depicting "bad selfie ideas" – highlighting stick figures posing on utility poles while holding guns – was also distributed, Jain said in his study.
In 2016, Mumbai declared 16 "no selfie" zones in the city as a result of a series of self-related deaths, the Guardian reported. Earlier this year, a national park in Indonesia announced that it would work to create a safe place for photos after the death of a hiker taking a selfie, according to the Jakarta Post.
"It's easy to overlook all that kind of risky behavior, because sometimes we think it's not possible, like," I'm just going to take that picture for five seconds and it's okay to take that risk, "Jain Jain said. "But when people read in the newspaper that more than 150 or 200 people are dying in recent years, then they realize:" Okay, I should not take as much risk just by taking a photo ". "
