More than 250 people have died taking dangerous selfies for social media 'likes', report finds

Researchers have recommended 'no-selfie zones' to prevent more accidents
A man takes video of himself on an empty Nathan Road during Typhoon Mangkhut in Hong Kong, China
EPA
James Morris4 October 2018

More than 250 people worldwide have died while taking dangerous selfies in their quest for social media “likes”, a study has found.

Scientists are so concerned about the trend that they have called for “no selfie” zones near water edges, mountain peaks and at the top of tall buildings.

The study found there were 259 reported selfie deaths, from 137 accidents, between October 2011 and November last year. Of these, 159 happened in India.

Among the causes were drowning (70 deaths), falls (48), fire (48), firearms (11) and animals (seven).

A file image of a man taking a selfie with a Donald Trump waxwork figure
Yui Mok/PA

The scientists – Agam Bansal, Chandan Garg, Abhijith Pakhare and Samiksha Gupta – said the deaths are often driven by the desire of young people to get “likes” on social media sites.

They said: “Taking selfies is considered to be a mode of self-expression in today's generation. Selfies are well popular among Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest users. It is rewarding for individuals seeing the number of likes and positive comments, and this further influences them to post unique pictures which may also involve indulging in risky behaviour to click selfies.”

The scientists said the actual number of selfie deaths is likely to be much higher than 259, because they only used English language news reports to gather their data.

The study, published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, concluded: “’No selfie zones’ should be declared across many tourist areas, especially places such as water bodies, mountain peaks, and over tall buildings to decrease the incidence of selfie-related deaths.”

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