J Med Internet Res
Can selfie-related deaths be prevented?
Researchers from the University of New South Wales in Australia examined 5 peer-reviewed studies in an effort to identify the most common cause of selfie-related injuries and deaths and found that falling from high places, followed by drowning, were the most common causes of death.
- Between October and December 2022, researchers performed a narrative review of peer-reviewed literature published since January 2011.
- In total, 12 cases were identified from media reports (4 injuries and 8 fatalities; 7 in Australia and 5 in the United States).
- Four studies identified falls from height as the most common injury mechanism in selfie incidents; drowning was the second most common cause of death.
- The mean age of the reported victims was 22.1 years, with victims more likely to be female tourists.
- Recommended risk treatments were limited but included the adoption of “no selfie zones,” physical barriers, signage, and provision of information on dangerous locations to social media users.
- Content analysis revealed 3 key themes from media reports: "blame," "warning," and "prevention and education;" however, few media reports (n=8) provided safety recommendations.
Source:
Cornell S, et al. (2023, September 27). J Med Internet Res. Selfie-Related Incidents: Narrative Review and Media Content Analysis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37756044/