Written by Erin Martin, Staff Writer

An especially popular Christmas gift, more recently known as the “hover board,” is a technology trend that caught on quick. Despite its admiration from the thousands of buyers, some college campuses have deemed the boards unsafe due to the potential fire hazard it poses.

More than 30 schools have now banned or restricted hover boards, including Georgia State, Kennesaw State, Georgia Tech, and UGA. The glitch in the machine is caused by the lithium ion battery inside causing them to randomly explode when the battery is punctured.

The Consumer Producer Safety Commission reported 28 fires and 70 E.R.-treated injuries and counting. They’ve also been banned in airlines, on roadways and in malls. They are investigating reports of fractures, strains, bruises, and concussions from accidents with the hoverboard.

The flip side to the situation is that all of the boards aren’t made the same. There are hover boards that are poorly made with dangerous batteries, and others that are built with a different type of battery inside of them. Some colleges are completely fine with students using hover boards as long as they meet the safety standards and have the appropriate seal.

“I like the idea of the hover board. I haven’t seen many people using them on our campus, so I doubt that we’ll have any problems with them,” said VSU student Demarcus Green.

Although hover boards pose a potential threat for buildings on campuses, they are still a form of transportation for students and should be treated the same as bicycles. They shouldn’t be completely banned, but they should probably be kept away from dorm rooms and class buildings for students’ safety.

“I think they’re pretty cool, and they should be allowed on campuses.” said Jasmine Williams, sophomore accounting major. “I bought one for a friend, and I’d be pretty upset about wasting my money. College students are responsible enough to have them.”