During the holiday season, many people across the globe received gifts such as new iPhones and clothes, but the most popular posts on social media were about hoverboards.

“I’ve had my hoverboard for almost two weeks now and it creates so many more benefits in my life because I can use it as a vehicle considering I don’t have my license,”Jaelen Harris said.

A hoverboard is a two- wheeled recreational vehicle that moves by standing on top of the hoverboard and leaning forward, backwards and side-to-side to move about. These levitational transportation devices have become popular after celebrities such as Wiz Khalifa and Cleveland Cavaliers J.R. Smith were seen on them.

The craze for hoverboards exploded after videos of people on them popped up on social media. One videos on Twitter was of Mike Tyson riding on his daughters hoverboard and falling off of it. Although this seems like a fun and harmless gadget to play around with, many accidents have been reported around the world.

“I’ve come close to falling trying to reach the top speed on my [hoverboard] in a parking lot when I lost control and almost fell onto the concrete,” Harris said.

An article by Gizmodo reveals that many of the hoverboards have caught on fire and many have been sent to the emergency room for injuries. Major airlines have also created a policy that passengers may not bring hoverboards on board due to potential danger. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has questioned and investigated into what is causing these hoverboards to malfunction.

“I don’t think that hoverboards are dangerous I just think you have to know how to ride [them] and once you get the hang of it, then it’s fine,” Heila Ahmadzai said.

Due to frequency and type of reported accidents, California passed a law that started Jan. 1, all hoverboard users must be at least 16 years old and must wear a helmet. Users are also limited to only ride on streets where the speed limit is under 35 mph.

“I think the law eliminates the whole idea of the hoverboard because you can’t ride them around in stores or malls, especially if you’re under 16,” Cole Kachmar said.

With exploding hoverboards and injuries reported everyday, California citizens must obey this new law or get fined $250 for violating it.

by MISSIE CARACUT