At Least 290 Selfie Deaths

“More than 250 people worldwide have died while taking selfies in the last six years, according to a new study from researchers associated with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a group of public medical colleges based in New Delhi. The findings, which analyzed news reports of the 259 selfie-related deaths from October 2011 to November 2017, were published in the July-August edition of the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. Of the 259 deaths, researchers found the leading cause to be drowning, followed by incidents involving transportation—for example, taking a selfie in front of an oncoming train—and falling from heights. Other causes of selfie-related deaths include animals, firearms and electrocution. 'The selfie deaths have become a major public health problem,' Agam Bansal, the study’s lead author, told The Washington Post. ‘Taking 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 don’t think this is worth compromising a life for such a thing.’” (At least 31 selfie deaths have occurred since November 2017 - “List of Selfie-related Injuries and Deaths,” wikipedia.org.)

​“More than 250,” The Washington Post, Oct. 2, 2018

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