There are few cases of fatal accidents that have occurred in order to get the perfect photo (many more, in fact, than shark attacks). The pressure that people are subjected to on social media causes risky situations that can lead to accidents and even death. In fact, a study in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care found that 259 people worldwide lost their lives between 2011 and 2017 while trying to take a selfie.
In fact, there are even rankings of deaths caused by this practice, such as that of Priceonomics magazine, which places Spain as the second European country and fourth in the world in deaths caused by taking a selfie.
Many of the accidents that the statistics collect originate from falling from high places, but there are also other risk situations, such as electrical storms, the use of dangerous objects, or approaching dangerous animals.
In which country do the most people die from taking a selfie? According to the Priceomomics study, India has the highest rates , with 40% of all selfie-related deaths. The alarming data, as detailed in the ranking , cannot be attributed only to the large population, since China only registers a single death.
In this case, the causes can be attributed to India having a very high drowning death rate, accounting for 20% of all drowning deaths worldwide, according to the UN. The hypothesis is that the torrential rains create risk situations that, combined with the attempt of selfies and the lack of knowledge in resuscitation techniques, would cause this high rate of deaths. Sadly, most of these victims would be young people between the ages of 15 and 25.
Regarding the profile of people who suffer this type of accident, that of a young boy predominates. Priceonomics reveals that 75% of people killed by selfie attempts since 2014 are men , and the median age stands at 21 years.
It must be said that these studies count deaths, but the injured and / or injured by accidents trying to take a selfie can be much higher. To prevent and raise awareness about the dangers of taking a selfie in risky situations, the PantallasAmigas platform has launched a campaign called Ten situations to avoid for a risk-free selfie, through entertaining animations that reach all audiences. To see it, click here.
How to reduce the risk of having an accident by taking a selfie? Here are some recommendations:
