Dangerous selfies have killed over 250 people in six years

In the social media age, society is more willing than ever to push their bodies to the extreme in order to capture the perfect selfie. 2018 has shown us thrill-seekers and influencers jumping from rooftop to rooftop and tightrope walking between very tall buildings. While having Instagram clout is super-validating, we are just saying that you could potentially die.

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A 2018 global report claims that 259 people have lost their lives while taking selfies between 2011 and 2017. The mean age that these people die was just shy of 23. Almost 75 percent of the deceased were men.

In 2011, there were only three selfie-related deaths. However, that number quickly spiked to 98 in 2016 and 93 in 2017, leading us to believe the phenomenon may have resulted in the new-found quest for dangerous snapshots.

The report goes on to say that “risky behavior” is the true cause of death. Many of these selfie-related deaths took place around bodies of water, mountain peaks or tall buildings.

In other words, please stop doing this crazy stuff for the ‘gram, unless you are a professional. 

What makes these statistics even crazier, researchers believe that number could be higher still. Typically, doctors and other medical professionals will not list “selfie” as the cause of death but instead list reasons such as “car accident” or “drowning.”

“Selfies are never reported as an official cause of death,” the report says. “It is believed that selfie deaths are underreported and the true problem needs to be addressed.”

A possible solution for the social media tragedy could include “no selfie zones” at tourism locations. On the other hand, somebody stupid enough to put their life in danger for a selfie probably isn’t going to take a sign very seriously either.

At least it’s better than nothing.

What was the wildest thing you’ve ever done for a selfie? Let us know in the comments below!