It may be a commonality to click selfies at amusement parks but the famous Walt Disney World is not going to entertain them any longer. It has banned selfie-sticks from its theme parks across the world citing safety concerns.
Under a new policy, which takes effect from Tuesday, the poles will not make it past the bag check at any Disney World theme park. The sticks will be barred from use in Disney World water parks or DisneyQuest, a gaming attraction at Downtown Disney.
The ban kicks in on Tuesday at Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California, along with other Disney-run theme parks in the US. The ban goes into effect at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland on 1 July.
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Guests will be checked for the equipment during the routine bag check that happens near the parks’ entrances. They will have an option of turning in their selfie-sticks for pick-up later or to simply turn around and leave them behind in their cars.
Visitors will be told of the policy in locations such as the parking lots and at the resort’s hotels. The prohibition will be added to the park rules post on Disney World’s website.
Selfie-sticks are metal rods that can extend up to about 40 inches, to which smartphones or compact cameras can be fixed. They allow people to take wider-angle pictures of themselves that can include more people and incorporate more background in the shot.
The issue has been building at Disney. Previously, the sticks were prohibited from its rides, and “no selfie-sticks” signs were at select rides. Several incidents preceded the change, but officials have been discussing the rules for some time, Disney said.
