Holiday Sales Boom Brings Hoverboard Fails

05:47

December 28, 2015

A boy rides a hoverboard on the day after Christmas in San Pedro, California. Reports of some hoverboards, also known as self-balancing, two-wheeled scooters catching fire have led to an investigation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

One of the holiday season's most popular gifts is causing some serious headaches.

New York City has banned the use of hoverboards on city streets. Crashes of the new toys are sending people to the emergency room. Airlines are scrambling to deal with potentially dangerous battery explosions. And, as a result, social media is buzzing about the hashtag #Hoverboardfails.

Here & Now's Meghna Chakrabarti discussed the trend with Atlantic senior editor Derek Thompson, who said "the device, which was popularized by social media, is now feeling the other sharp side of the sword because social media is now broadcasting the fact that many young and old recipients of the hoverboards cannot in fact stay on them."

Guest

Derek Thompson, senior editor at The Atlantic. He tweets @DKThomp.

This segment aired on December 28, 2015.