Premature ageing, mental illness and an early death… what are you putting on the line in your hunt for the perfect snap?
We investigate why selfies are bad for your health
SELFIES might seem like a bit of harmless fun but there are increasing claims that they can pose a serious threat to our health.
Trying to take that perfect picture is being blamed for speeding up the ageing process, causing low self-esteem and increasing extreme risk-taking behaviour.
Even celebs are not immune from the dangers, as selfie queen Kim Kardashian found out in Thailand in 2014 when an elephant seemingly objected to being in her snap.
Here, GRAEME CULLIFORD looks at why it is not healthy taking selfies.
Risky Behaviour
Posing for wacky photos has led to a spike in deaths.
Twelve people are said to have died taking snaps of themselves in 2015. The previous year a 21-year-old Mexican accidentally shot himself dead while posing with a gun.
And in a warning to UK selfie-takers James Millidge, of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, said: “People are going far too close to the cliff face.
“Young people aged between 16 and 39 put themselves at alarming risk. A selfie is not risking your life for.”
Nudes
A trend for taking naked selfies has caused trouble for British backpackers.
In March, 23-year-old Adam Burton, below, was arrested by Peruvian police and charged with moral misconduct after taking his clothes off for a picture at the Machu Picchu ruins.
And last year Eleanor Hawkins, 24, from Derby served a short prison sentence in Malaysia after posing topless on the summit of the sacred Mount Kinabalu, an act which locals believe offended the gods and caused an earthquake.
Low self-esteem
Addiction to your own photos has been linked to mental health issues.
Scientists say victims feel dissatisfied with how they look, leading to anxiety and depression.
The sense of misery can be made worse when they compare themselves to others on social media.
Wannabe model Danny Bowman, above, tried to kill himself after becoming addicted to selfies. He said: “I was constantly in search of the perfect selfie and when I realised I couldn’t I wanted to die.”
Hacking
Stars including singer Rihanna, X-Men actress Jennifer Lawrence and Kim Kardashian were involved in a massive celebrity photo leak scandal in 2014.
A collection of almost 500 private snaps, many containing nudity, taken on celebrities’ mobile phones were hacked and linked to website 4Chan and circulated around the web.
But it is not just celebs at risk.
Ordinary selfie takers are vulnerable to having their phones or accounts hacked and pictures stolen as well.
Skin damage
Dermatologists say blue light and radiation emitted by mobiles used to take selfies is to blame for speeding up the ageing process, causing wrinkles.
They say the affected area will appear on the same side of the body where the person holds their phone.
US doctor Zein Obagi said: “You start to see a dull, dirty-looking texture. The light has some sort of effect that is damaging to the skin.”