The electric self balancing scooters known as “hoverboards” have quickly become a phenomenon over the last several months, showing up as birthday gifts, Christmas gifts and personal treats all across the country.

However, as is the case for many other new tech gadgets, reports have begun to pile up regarding the potential safety risks of the trendy new item.

In response to these safety risks, UNC Wilmington recently joined many other universities in issuing a ban on the indoor use of hoverboards on campus.

On Jan. 21, Director of Environmental Health and Safety at UNCW Stan Harts sent a memo to the entire campus community detailing the new sanction.

“UNCW is instituting an immediate ban on the indoor operation and charging of ‘hoverboards’ in all campus buildings, including residence halls,” he said, citing the “potential fire risk associated with their use and charging” as the main reason behind the ban.

At least 40 incidents in the United States have occurred in which the hoverboard’s lithium ion batteries caught fire, according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.

UNCW is not alone in banning these boards. An article in the Charlotte Observer listed UNC Chapel Hill, Duke University, East Carolina University, Campbell University, UNC Charlotte and North Carolina State University, among other North Carolina colleges, as having some sort of prohibition on hoverboards and their use.

But since the ban is so recent, UNCW has not yet formed an official policy regarding the use of these scooters.

“Safety is of the utmost importance at UNCW, for our students, employees and visitors,” said a university spokesperson on Jan. 29. “The university will develop and implement a campus safety standard for hoverboards and other personal-powered transportation devices and communicate that standard to the campus accordingly.”

“In the meantime,” said Harts in his memo, “these devices shall not be operated or charged indoors by faculty, staff, students or visitors in all campus buildings, including residence halls.”

“I expected [the ban] to come at some point eventually,” said Jeremy Lea, Assistant Residence Coordinator of Schwartz Hall and the University Suites. “Other schools have already banned them around the country due to their safety issues.”

Lea said that there had already been a resident riding a hoverboard in Schwartz Hall in the short time between winter break and when the ban was issued on Jan. 21.

Lea considered the self balancing scooter similar enough to skateboards, which are not allowed to be used in residence halls, and instructed the resident to not ride the hoverboard inside.

But now that hoverboards have been officially banned from UNCW buildings, Lea plans to be firmer in his ruling against them.

“If I saw a new [hoverboard] come in, I’d be a little more forceful in saying ‘please get rid of it,’” he said. “Overall, though, if I saw one come into the building, I would just encourage my residents to take it back home at the next break… and try not to use it on campus, since it is not allowed.”