Deadly selfies: the social media trend of risking your life for a good photo

Did you know that more and more people die every year trying to take a selfies, who was attacked by a shark? In the age of mobile phones, taking pictures of yourself with the front camera of devices has become one of the most popular trends on social media.

And that’s it so that we can immortalize the memory of a special moment, like a vacation, a meeting with friends and family.

However, there are those who do not measure the risks when trying to take a photo. A recent study on iO Foundation revealed that Since 2008, a total of 379 people have died trying to obtain a selfie.

But in what circumstances did these people die?

Falls from great heights, drownings and transport accidents. These would be the main causes of death linked to selfies — the English word for “selfie.”

According to the same analysis by the iO Foundation, the countries with the most deaths due to selfies are: India, the United States, Russia and Brazil.

“This is an emerging problem that, due to the dimensions it has acquired, can already be considered a public health problem.” “The study has helped us assess the situation and is the first step in taking measures to address it,” he assured the Spanish newspaper. The country Manuel Linares Rufo, president of the iO Foundation and principal investigator of the study.

According to the study, among the total number of deaths related to taking a selfie, the causes were:

1. 216 For falls from places such as cliffs, waterfalls, cascades and rooftops or balconies.
2. 123 For accidents in means of transport.
3. 66 For drowning
4. 24 For fire arms.
5. 24 For electrocutions.
6. 17 For wild animal attacks.

Furthermore, in total 41% of the victims were adolescents under 19 years old and 37% were between 20 and 30 years old. The average age is 24.4 years and, in general, More men die than women.

“Social media rewards the most extreme content,” he said. The country Liliana Arroyo, doctor of sociology. For the expert, These types of photographs are the ones that capture the most attention from users and, for content creators, it gives them “an adrenaline rush with every like they receive.”

“This, in turn, This leads some people who need this social validation more to venture into new avenues in search of limits and new rewards, and there is the capacity of each person to assess whether this reward is worth the risk or not.

Enrique García Bernardo, a psychiatrist, was of the same opinion: he told the same media outlet that “These images have become a quick way to gain immediate, easy and superficial recognition.”

“(…) On this subject, there are people more likely to engage in risky behavior. According to the temperamental categories defined by the American psychiatrist Robert Cloninger, these are those who are most likely to seek new sensations and whose behavior is least conditioned by the avoidance of harm.

The most recent case of a person dying while trying to take a selfie is that of Moe Sa Nay, a 14-year-old influencer. On July 22, he lost his life while posing for a selfie near Sinywa Waterfall in Myanmar.

According to some media reports, the teenager did not die because of the fall, but because she was unable to get out of the rocks. The rescue team tried to help her, but they were unable to get down due to the complex terrain. Even after her death, the difficulty of finding the lifeless body persisted.

In May 2024, another influencer lost her life because of a selfie. The young Aanvi Kamdar (27 years old), originally from India, slipped from a cliff at Kumbhe Falls, in her country, falling from more than 100 meters while taking a photo. She was able to be rescued alive, but died while receiving medical treatment.

A little before, in April 2024, Inessa Polenko 39, died after falling from a 50-metre-high structure at a viewpoint over the Black Sea in Georgia, United States. Russian influencer lost her balance while taking a photo for her social networks.

According to the iO Foundation study, The tourist places where the most deaths have been recorded in the world are:

• Niagara Falls (United States).
• Glen Canyon (United States).
• Charco del Burro (Colombia).
• Penha Beach (Brazil).
• Mlango Waterfall (Kenya).
• Ural Mountains (Russia).
• Taj Mahal (India).
• Doodhpathri Valley (India).
• Nusa Lembongan Island (Indonesia).
• Langkawi Archipelago (Malaysia).

Due to the many accidents caused by taking selfies and photographs – which fortunately do not always end in death – Some cities have implemented security measures to protect tourists from these risks.

For example, In Barcelona, ​​the metro has banned taking photos and videos from escalators that have a direct view of the Sagrada Familia one of the most coveted structures by tourists in Europe.

In New York and California, two cities in the United States, They have banned tourists from taking selfies in zoos or other places where dangerous animals are kept to prevent them from being attacked.

From the iO Foundation, they call to be aware of the risks that can be involved in taking photos in a dangerous place and to read the safety warnings of each tourist area where they go, especially the most extreme ones.

They also recommended consulting local authorities about possible risks of which they are not aware and “Use common sense.”