New Rule: Kids Required to Wear Leashes At Disney World

Did you know that Animal Kingdom is 500 acres, making it the largest Disney World park? On the other hand, Magic Kingdom is the smallest at 142 acres. That is still a huge amount of land for a theme park. When parks built for families are that big, children are bound to get lost. In fact, tens of thousands of kids get lost in Disney World parks each year. Because of this, Disney is implementing a new rule where all kids must be on a leash inside their parks.

This new rule where all kids must be on a leash at Disney World seems to be controversial. While some parents already leash their kids inside Disney, being forced to do it is another issue. We will break down why Disney is forcing parents to put their kids on a leash at Disney World and who is required to wear one.

Why is Disney Forcing Parents to Put Kids on a Leash?

Leashing kids has been a fairly new development in the past 15 years. Back in the early 2010s, putting kids on leashes became more mainstream. This trend actually first became popular at Disney World. For those not familiar, parents put a backpack on their kids, which connects to a leash, that they hold onto. It’s much like how people put their dogs on leashes. Parents started doing this to keep track of their kids in Disney World and prevent them from wandering off or flying away holding Mickey balloons as we reported here.

Now, Disney is implementing a new rule in their park where all kids must be on a leash. This is to reduce the number of kids that wander off from their parents each year in Disney World parks. Each time a child wanders off, it requires extensive cast members, security, and police officers to help reunite the parent and child. Also, there is always the possibility of abduction of kids that wander off at Disney, which is the worst-case scenario.

However, many parents are outraged by this. It certainly seems inhumane to put your kid on a leash. In fact, most parents told us it’s their responsibility to keep an eye on their kids and they shouldn’t be mandated to leash them. They disagree with Disney forcing them into following this new rule. This isn’t the first time Disney has gone against the wishes of parents and won’t be the last. In fact, it’s stuff like this that Ron Desantis strikes back against and deploys the National Guard to block Disney entrances as we reported here.

Details on The New Leash Law at Disney World

We mentioned that kids at Disney World are required to be on a leash, but what constitutes a kid? Also, how will Disney enforce this? Disney is requiring all kids 9 and younger to be on a leash at Disney World. At Disney World, a “child” ticket is for anyone between 3-9 years old. Disney is making this the legal age for leashing because it’s easy to check at the entrance gates. 

When guests scan their MagicBand, Disney knows if they are 9 or younger. All guests who scan children park tickets, will need to be on a leash to enter the park. If they aren’t, the cast member at the gate can refuse their entry. Disney may also direct them to the store near the Train Station to buy a Disney-branded leash. Is this a secret ploy to make more money? Maybe. It’s like how Disney is now changing to use Wi-Fi as we reported here.

Once inside the park, things get dicier. Children can remove their leashes, however, this could lead to being banned from Disney. If a Disney Cast Member checks their age and they are under 9 and don’t have a leash on, Disney has the right to kick them out and ban them for violating park rules. However, that’s unlikely. The most likely scenario is the Cast Member just tells the child to leash back up. Either way, it doesn’t feel very family and kid-friendly, forcing guests to put their kids on a leash.

What do you think of Disney’s new rule requiring kids to be on a leash at Disney World? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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