The Russian Police Has Issued A Guide On Taking Selfies

LONDON: The seemingly harmless “selfie” (an image taken of oneself using the front camera of the phone -- for those not in the know) are no longer just a fad, but a major health risk. Experts have warned of a range of risks associated with selfie-taking -- from mental illness to blindness (if selfies are taken during a solar eclipse). Weighing in on this dangerous practice, the Russian police has issued a guide to taking selfies without killing yourself.

Citing a recent string of selfie-induced accidents, the Russian Interior Ministry launched a campaign to instruct citizens on the safest ways to get that perfect narcissist shot. The campaign is accompanied by the hashtag, #???????????????, meaning #safeselfie.

The hashtag is popular on social media, with the Twitterati using it.

“When a person is trying to photograph themselves, their attention is scattered, they lose their balance, they don’t look look around and feel no danger,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The guide issues warns of things such as selfies with wild animals, firearms, or at significant heights.

This may sound like a no-brainer, but selfies are quite the health risk in daring Russia. For instance, last month, a drunk Siberian man accidentally toppled a statue of Vladimir Lenin while trying to photograph himself with the Russian leader.

In other instances, two fishermen in Siberia wound up in the hospital after reportedly attempting to take a selfie with a snake, which ended up -- surprise surprise -- biting them!

In a far more tragic incident, a 21-year-old Muscovite fell to her death from a city bridge during a selfie attempt a few weeks ago. In May, a 21-year-old woman accidentally shot herself in the head with a non-lethal pistol -- in an attempt to strike a pose for a selfie.

In fact, police have reported that about 100 people have been injured and at least 10 killed since the beginning of the year while attempting selfies.

So here’s to responsible “selfie-taking”... and an important (if hard-to-believe) initiative by the Russian police.