DAILY MAIL
Taking selfies should be considered a ‘public health problem’, according to new research.
Academics in Australia analyzed scientific papers and media reports on injuries or deaths from selfies worldwide since 2008.
They found nearly 400 had been reported over the 13-year study period — including 77 in the US.
Victims were most likely to be female tourists in their early 20s, while falling and drowning while taking a photo the leading two causes of death.
Researchers said the public must be made aware of the risks posed by selfies — with an estimated 92million snapped globally every day — and urged social media apps to install software to warn people of the dangers as they go to take a selfie.
Dr Samuel Cornell, a risk expert at the University of New South Wales, Australia, and others wrote in the paper: ‘The selfie-related incident phenomenon should be viewed as a public health problem that requires a public health response.
‘To date, little attention has been paid to averting selfie-related incidents through behavior change methodologies or direct messaging to users through apps.
‘Although previous research has recommended “no selfie zones”, barriers and signage as ways to prevent selfie incidents, our results suggest this may not be enough.
‘It may be prudent to also engage in direct safety messaging to social media users.’
Twenty-year-old student Andrea Norton plunged 100 feet to her death off a cliff in Arkansas after slipping while taking a selfie in 2019.
READ THE FULL STORY IN DAILY MAIL
