Alarmed by the increasing number of selfie deaths among youth, a woman here conducted a selfie-addiction awareness programme here recently. Poornima Bhat, who runs a learning disability centre conducted a selfie-addiction awareness workshop for students from Canara College recently.

"School students are most prone to selfie and technology addiction which cause a lack of concentration in studies." Not just students, she also addressed teachers at the event. She stressed the importance of working mental muscles with memorisation exercises, instead of being overly technology-dependent.

Referring to  the growing number of selfie deaths, she said "There is a new disorder called 'Selfitis' which comes in three levels - borderline, acute and chronic."  She also advised students to replace the time they spend on the phone with more productive work, which will trigger their feel-good hormones.

India, which according to media and data, has the highest number of selfie deaths in the world has seen a rise in such incidents since 2016. Several governments and local authorities have taken multiple precautions following a rise in such deaths.

The earliest incident includes a group of boys who drowned after the small boat they were in toppled over when they crowded together in on corner for a selfie in Andhra Pradesh. Historical and heritage sites too exercised precaution and even banned entry to several spots after youth fell to their death in a bid to get the perfect angle.