Walt Disney World Resort security cast members allegedly went too far in an invasive search of a 10-year-old guest. His mother took to social media to complain about the incident at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Guests must interact with Disney security cast members upon entering Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and Disney Springs. At the four Disney parks and before boarding the Monorail or watercraft transportation, guests must walk through metal detectors and submit to random bag searches.
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Advanced metal detectors have made the Walt Disney World Resort security experience much more efficient. Instead of going through every guest’s bag, cast members only manually search personal belongings or use metal detector wands when the technology flags them.

Reddit user u/Due_Handle_6919 recently visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios with her husband and 10-year-old son. The metal detectors flagged her husband for a more advanced security search, so she took her son to shop inside the Disney park entrance while they waited.
The guest claimed that after about 15 minutes, security cast members approached her 10-year-old and demanded he submit to an invasive security search. The mother said they made the child turn out his pockets and lift his shirt up in front of other guests. She claimed they weren’t satisfied when they didn’t find anything and made her son repeat steps.
During the search, the woman’s husband returned. He asked why security cast members flagged his son, but a manager allegedly said they couldn’t disclose that information.

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Security cast members didn’t find anything on the child. After they left, the family went to Guest Services and demanded an explanation. A Guest Services cast member reportedly told them they couldn’t provide additional information.
“Has anyone [else] had a terrible security experience?” the Disney Park guest asked Redditors.
Disney Parks fans suggested that perhaps a cast member thought the child put something in his pocket or otherwise stole something while shopping with his mom. The guest insisted otherwise.

“I thought that too!” she replied. “But the security manager acted like that was far fetched and said no way that would happen. But that was what I originally thought, maybe they thought he took something.”
The family wished that were the case so they could’ve received closure on the incident.
“I would almost feel better about that,” the Disney Resort guest concluded. “At least I would know why.”

Other Disney Parks fans reassured the concerned parent that security cast members are there to keep everyone safe. The most popular comment from u/alienware99:
“If anything this should be reassuring, knowing that they are going the extra mile to make sure 100% everyone is safe. I understand it’s inconvenient, but if they thought they saw something and wanted to double check to be absolutely sure, I have no problem with that.
And while it can be frustrating, you do have to realize it is just people doing their job. Their job is to be 1000% certain everyone coming through is safe and doesn’t have anything dangerous or illegal on them. I have no doubt you and your family had nothing dangerous on you, but those machines can sometimes show false positives, or things that they can’t identify they have to be inspected.”
Still, some felt that security shouldn’t have the right to perform invasive checks on guests–especially children.

“This type of security doesn’t re-assure me,” said u/ledfrog. “It just makes me feel like we’re all being treated like criminals in the name of ‘safety’ and the sad reality is that IF someone really wanted to cause havoc in a Disney park, there are many ways to sneak stuff past security because as much as it looks like TSA security, it’s far from it.”
Related: Entry Denied: Disney California Adventure Park Bans Annual Passholders for Complaining Too Much
When purchasing a Walt Disney World Resort theme park ticket, guests agree to voluntarily submit to all security protocols or face ejection. Anyone concerned about Disney security procedures can write to or visit Guest Services.
Have you had a negative experience with Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort security? Share your story with Inside the Magic in the comments.