Social media is taking the world to a new level. The popular series Black Mirror seems tame by comparison to the reality unfolding on social media. Recently, anthropologists have expressed alarm at the rise in online sales of human remains. Videos of skulls decorating shelves alongside books and plants have become popular on TikTok and Instagram. What lies behind this is a market for real human bones—real human skulls being sold as if they were t-shirts.
Simply typing ‘oddities’ into networks like Instagram or TikTok reveals a trend
In Spain, for example, it is illegal to possess a human bone, even if it belongs to a family member, but a black market is growing in this area. Michelle Spear, a professor of anatomy at the University of Bristol, has tracked how skulls, long bones, and even modified human remains are sold through major online marketplaces and social media. The worrying aspect, therefore, is that many of these human remains may be real, as are undoubtedly ancient plaques or tombstones that have been removed from their original locations to follow trends on social media platforms. In the article, the specialist warns that an online black market for human remains exists and is experiencing significant growth. Simply typing ‘oddities’ into networks like Instagram or TikTok reveals a trend where many users post their ‘extravagant’ collections.
The fact is that, although this type of buying and selling is illegal in some countries, the legislation is somewhat more vague in others, leading many to exploit regulatory loopholes to expand their collections. And the buyers come from diverse backgrounds. They may be traditional collectors of curiosities, practitioners of rituals, and some contemporary artists use human bones as raw material. This legal vacuum has prompted the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology to launch a campaign against this type of “trade,” which not only “exploits the dead” but also “commodifies” them, as Spear argues in her article.
“This trend is worrying because it normalizes the ownership of human remains” – Michelle Spear
As seen on social media, there are sectors with interests closely tied to all things related to death. Fans of the aesthetic known as “dark academia” blend Gothic literature, candlelit desks, and vintage clothing with an academic touch, and real skulls and skeletons are beginning to appear within this aesthetic. Regarding the sale of real skulls, the anthropologist says: “This trend is worrying because it normalizes the ownership of human remains and blurs the line between objects of study and human individuals. By aestheticizing death, there is a risk of eroding the ethical safeguards that once protected the dead.”
In the United States, federal law protects Native American remains
The trade in these products ranges from closed groups on platforms like Facebook to the most remote corners of the dark web. At first glance, it might seem like a harmless style choice, similar to an antique globe or a vintage lamp. However, the person behind those bones disappears. The law in many countries leaves this type of trade open to interpretation. In the United Kingdom, the Human Tissue Act of 2004 regulates the use of donated bodies for teaching and research, but it only applies to remains less than one hundred years old. Therefore, any remains older than this are usually excluded from the system.
This is worrying because there have been cases of stolen artifacts being resold on Facebook. In the United States, federal law protects Native American remains, but state laws differ, and online enforcement is inconsistent. In fact, human skulls have been known to fetch up to $500. Because skulls are easily sold in other countries, a skull registered in one country can be shipped to another with very little scrutiny. There have already been arrests in Florida, for example, and more arrests are possible.