In 2014, 49 people died in selfie-linked incidents throughout the world. 19 of those cases occurred in India.
Most of these incidents involved people stumbling from unguarded ledges, distracted while trying to capture the image. Earlier this month, a student drowned after falling into a reservoir, and in January, a woman fell into the ocean while taking a selfie at Mumbai’s Bandstand fort.
To alleviate the problem, the city of Mumbai has declared 16 no-selfie zones. Individuals are banned from entering these marked spots altogether, with violators facing a 1,200 rupee fine.
"After the unfortunate incident, we have decided to identify 16 spots where taking selfies can be dangerous, but we may add more," deputy commissioner Dhananjay Kulkarni said. "We have written to the municipal corporation to put some warning signs up at such points. We also want them to deploy some lifeguards."
In addition, the city plans to launch an ad campaign warning of the dangers of the selfie. It remains to be seen whether the policy will have any effect.
"When you are travelling alone, and do not have anyone to take your pictures, then it’s only selfie," one student said, according to Today News.
Experts don’t expect the selfie phenomenon to disappear anytime soon, no matter how dangerous it can be.
"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," psychologist Keerti Sachdeva said, according to Today.
"So for acceptance and recognition they are indulging in taking of selfies."
India isn’t the only country with a selfie problem. Last June, a Russian NGO proposed lessons for at-risk teens who take dangerous selfies to gain attention. The proposal also included fines for any bloggers who showed dangerous selfies.
"We created this initiative after recent tragic news about deaths of children from selfies. Children see bloggers and roofers and try to copy them but end up being killed," Dmitry Kurdesov, head of the St. Petersburg-based group For Safety, told Sputnik.
"The first tip is to care about safety, and don’t try to copy bloggers and roofers. Second, I believe that dangerous selfies should be banned and the roofers who take them should be fined."
