TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A new study from the University of New South Wales has illuminated a grim trend: between 2008 and 2021, 400 people have lost their lives worldwide while taking selfies, with young women aged 22 emerging as the most affected demographic.
The research acknowledges a disturbing reality and classified selfie-related incidents as a "public health hazard."
This sentiment was echoed by Samuel Cornell of the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, whose interest has been piqued by injuries and deaths caused by selfie mishaps, particularly in environmental or aquatic settings.
Published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Cornell's analysis references data from studies conducted in the United States and Australia since 2011.
According to the research findings, falls from elevated locations are the leading cause of selfie-related injuries and fatalities, followed closely by accidents occurring at waterfronts.
The ubiquity of smartphones has been identified as a prime contributor to these selfie-associated risks. Further studies suggest that 80% of those who have died while taking selfies were tourists, with the majority being female.
In India, there have been multiple instances of groups drowning while trying to capture selfies near waters, while the U.S. and Australia have seen their fair share of fatal falls linked to the risky photo practice.
This emerging data serves as a harrowing caution about the unintended consequences of our increasingly digital lives.
