Paris museums ban selfie sticks

Museums in Paris are moving towards banning the popular selfie sticks because of the hazard they pose for artwork and crowds. An outright ban will soon prohibit the poles. Officials at the Louvre have seen an increase in the use of selfie sticks that are being waved around mere inches from priceless paintings. This is causing great stress to authorities of potential damage to priceless work.

Several large museums in other European metropolitans have started banning the extendable selfie sticks, including the Smithsonian in Washington DC, and the National Gallery of Australia.

For Paris a ban of these sticks inside museums will have a significant impact. Safety for visitors in often-crowded spaces and safe guarding fragile paintings, sculptures and furnishings is motivation to move against the sticks being used.

Many tourists appear to understand the need for restrictions on the selfie sticks. For museum managers, balance between the desire of people to photograph their visit but also to ensure safety foot traffic can be difficult.

Museums such as Paris’s Musee d’Orsay, prohibits all photography inside. Others permit non-flash photography as long as no tripods or monopods are utilized.

Photo by Gavin Anderson//Flickr