Palace Museum to restrict use of selfie sticks   

A visitor uses a selfie stick at the Palace Museum in Beijing. (Photo/Beijing Morning Post)

(ECNS) - Beijing's Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, said it will forbid the use of selfie sticks in narrow and crowded areas, the Beijing Morning Post reported Wednesday.

Visitors are not allowed to use selfie sticks because of concerns about possible damage to cultural relics as well as disruptions to other visitors, according to the museum.

A woman surnamed Xu, who owns two selfie sticks, said they help her get better shots, but that it's not always safe to use them, particularly in narrow exhibition rooms where they can threaten other spectators.

Restrictions on the use of selfie sticks have been imposed in many venues, including museums and galleries in some countries and premier league football grounds in Britain.

One of 2014's 25 best inventions according to Time Magazine, selfie sticks allow users to take multi-angle selfies by attaching their cell phones or cameras to the end of a monopod.