When a selfie becomes a risk to life

Taking a selfie seems a pretty harmless thing to do. It´s a normal part of modern-day life and not something that would generally be considered dangerous.

Yet just 2 weeks ago, on August 15, Natalia Stichova, a talented young Czech athete, died when she fell from a mountain in Germany whilst attempting to take a selfie. 23-year-old Stichova, who was exploring the area around the Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau, fell 80 metres when she lost her balance whilst trying to take the selfie. Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, who were quick to arrive at the scene, Stichova´s injuries were too severe and she did not survive the accident.

How much is that selfie really worth risking?

Shocking statistics reveal that between January 2008 and July 2021 a total of 379 people were estimated to have died in selfie-related circumstances [List of selfie-related injuries and deaths, Wikipedia]. There have been at least 25 reported incidents of selfie-related deaths or severe injuries across Europe, from 2014 to date.

According to the US based National Library of Medicine (NLM), 259 of the reported selfie-related deaths occurred between October 2011 and November 2017. These figures do not take into account the numerous other people who have been injured whilst attempting to take the perfect selfie, and the NLM emphasises that the statistics are unlikely to be a true reflection of the number of incidents, as many will not have been reported and cause of death is never named as such.

When something that starts as a fun way to gain praise from friends or likes on Instagram ends in needless devastation, it´s time to question the situation and take action.

What can be done to raise awareness and make people think twice before taking an unnecessary risk?

`Stick With Your Mates´ is an initiative run by HM Government advising young people to look out for each other whilst on holiday, and was created in response to a number of tragic incidents reported amongst young people holidaying abroad, particularly in Spain. The campaign, which runs annually since 2019, was born in conjunction with similar campaigns such as `Don´t leave a friend behind´ – started by British woman Georgia Hague after the death of her friend Natalie Cormack whilst balconing in Magaluf in 2018.

The campaigns work alongside research by Spanish oncologist Juan José Segura Sampedro, which showed that in 96% of accidents amongst young tourists, alcohol was involved, with more than a third of cases testing positive for drugs [Science Direct, Vol.48, Issue 7, July 2017].

The fact that the study on selfie-related accidents and the safety campaigns were all initiated several years ago, yet youngsters continue to take unnecessary risks, is cause for concern and demonstrates that more awareness still needs to be raised.