India tops list of selfie-related deaths and now police will fine people who take pictures of themselves in risky areas. Nineteen of the 49 recorded selfie-linked deaths since 2014 were in India.
Mumbai has declared 16 no-selfie zones across the city after a spate of accidental deaths linked to what India’s popular press has dubbed “selfie fever”.
Fuelled by the celebrity fad for smartphone camera self-portraits, India’s youth have been gripped by a craze for selfies taken in unusual spots and at unique angles.
But a thirst for social media self-aggrandisement has made the country the world leader in selfie-related fatal accidents. Since 2014, 19 of the world’s 49 selfie-linked deaths have occurred on the subcontinent, according to one recent analysis.
The statistic may in part be due to India’s size, with 1.25 billion citizens and one of the world’s fastest-growing smartphone markets. But it is also no doubt down to its globalised popular culture. India’s newspapers regularly cover stories about celebrity selfies as well as condemnatory diatribes against the dangers of such vanity.
Now, after an intervention from members of Mumbai’s municipal council, the city’s police have declared selfies off-limits in areas perceived as risky – particularly coastal spots with no railings or barriers.
Calling for the measure earlier this month, local politician Abhishek Ghosalkar claimed such a ban would follow in the footsteps of western countries. “They have realised the potential danger of the habit, and even psychologists have termed it as a kind of disorder,” he said. “That is why I have demanded that the civic body identify such locations and declare them as no-selfie zones.”
Selfie fever has had tragic consequences across India. Earlier this month, an 18-year-old student on a class picnic lost his balance while taking a selfie atop a rock by a dam near the central Indian city of Nashik. He fell into the water and drowned, along with a classmate who jumped in to try and save him.
Last month, an 18-year-old woman fell and drowned in the sea while taking a photo of herself at Mumbai’s Bandstand Fort, a popular tourist spot. Two of her friends had to be rescued by a passerby.
An engineering student sustained fatal head injuries when a rock on which he was standing cracked and sent him tumbling. He’d been trying to take a photo with friends in front of the Kolli Hills in Tamil Nadu.
In January 2014, three students aged 20 to 22 died when they stopped to take a photo with a speeding train approaching, and were hit. They’d been on their way to visit the Taj Mahal.
After the 18-year-old woman’s death last month, Mumbai police conducted a survey to identify such dangerous places, police official Dhananjay Kulkarni said. The city also plans to run an awareness campaign.
Globally, young people aged 21 and under are the victims of more than two-thirds of selfie-related deaths, according to San Francisco-based data service provider Priceonomics. Almost three-quarters of victims are male, and the top three causes are falling from heights, drowning or being hit by a train. After India, Russia tops the league table for selfie deaths, with seven since 2014, according to the research published last month.
It is uncertain how many will pay heed to Mumbai’s ban. According to a report by the Associated Press on Thursday, people could still be seen clicking away in clearly marked selfie-free zones. Despite the well-publicised deaths, many still ventured close to edges and ledges to get the most thrilling shots to share online.
Murtuza Rangwala, a student in Mumbai, was quoted as saying: “When you are traveling alone, and do not have anyone to take your pictures, then it’s only selfie.”
Keerti Sachdeva, a Mumbai-based psychologist, said young people’s desire for recognition and acceptance lay behind the obsession. “You know people have this sort of feeling in adolescent age, especially that they need to get this acceptance from everyone, that I am a smart person, I am a good-looking person,” Sachdeva said. “So for acceptance and recognition they are indulging in the taking of selfies.”