Bad news for you selfie lovers, the selfie stick your Mum bought you for Christmas is slowly getting banned across the world on the grounds of health, safety and photography restrictions. The first to ban it was South Korea and now in the UK.

For those of you who have been living under a rock, selfie sticks are a Bluetooth-operated extended stick with a phone or camera latched to the end. They’re designed to aid one in the modern ritual of selfie taking and are becoming increasingly popular at concerts and festivals.

They were one of the best selling Christmas gifts of 2014. Just in this past year the selfie stick has become something of an emblem of today’s narcissistic, self-absorbed and westernized culture. In 2015, the much beloved selfie stick is now facing challenges across the globe.

The first to ban the sticks was South Korea based on health concerns regarding the use of Bluetooth. In November last year, The Independent revealed that plans to eradicate the selfie stick were being administered, and anyone caught selling an uncertified selfie stick would be indicted with a hefty fine of 17,000 pounds, or $31,000 AUD.

But It hasn’t stopped there. The latest to ban the weapons of mass selfie are The Academy Music Group, owners of the UK’s major music venues – O2 Academy Brixton, London’s O2 Arena and the SSE Wembley arena. Their basis is, however is slightly different to Korea, being due to existing prohibition of any film and photography during a performance, and also the chance of obstructing the view of other punters.

The Academy Music Group weren’t the first in the UK to ban the stick. Their decision followed the evaluation made by numerous UK football stadiums over the past year – including Tottenham’s White Hart Lane and Arsenal’s Emirates stadium due to the same health and safety concerns.

In the words of the Academy Music Group in an interview with NME – apparently we should stick with the “tried and tested use of our arms” when aiming for those festival selfies.

#FreeTheSelfieStick