A TikTok couple has learned the hard way that what you do has consequences — especially when you POST IT ONLINE.
Ty and Haley Kelly were the subjects of a social media storm after they documented what was supposed to be a fun family trip to Disney World. In a since-deleted TikTok, the parents showed followers how they placed their 3-year-old son Kannon in padded shoes to boost his height so he could meet the mandatory requirement for some of the theme park’s rides. Without their little cheat, the toddler would have been too short for the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Slinky Dog Dash, which is dubbed a “family-friendly” roller coaster.
However, soon after posting the clip, many of the influencers’ 1.2 million followers showed their disapproval for their actions — which could have put their little one in danger, as the height restrictions are enforced to ensure the safety of everyone riding.
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After the overwhelming backlash, the parents deleted the video and addressed the situation in a follow up TikTok last weekend. Ty started off by explaining:
“Hey everyone, so we’d like to address this Disney shoe situation one more time. So what started off as us trying to make an entertaining video for our audience that we thought you’d enjoy quickly turned into us realizing that what we put out on our platform has more consequences than we initially thought. As we realized this, we also realized we have more influence than we initially thought and that influence, if presented in a negative way, can have a ripple effect that could potentially cause harm or danger to someone else.”
He continued:
“Although our son was unharmed and completely okay, we do now understand that that may not be the case for some other kid, and the last thing that we’d want to happen from something that we put out on our social media is for someone to get hurt.”
Haley then chimed in, adding:
“In light of this realization, we’ve decided to take all the videos down related to this content. We hope you’ll give us the opportunity to prove that we love our children, we love y’all, and we love each other, and that with influence comes responsibility, and we take that seriously.”
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Ty added:
“We want to assure you that moving forward, we’re going to be more mindful of our actions and what we put out on our social media. This is a privilege. It’s a responsibility to set a good example for the people that follow us.”
In the video’s caption, the couple echoed their words, writing:
“With influence comes responsibility, and we take that seriously. It’s a privilege to have the platforms we do, and we’d NEVER want someone else to get hurt from an idea from one of our videos. With that being said, we’ve decided to take anything down related to the Disney shoe video. We hope that in time, you’ll see that we are serious about the content we put out for the public to see, and we’re committed to being more careful and intentional with our posts moving forward. We want our platforms to feel like home, and a safe place for you to come and unwind, be uplifted, inspired and hopefully entertained. We love you all. #thekellyfam”
With influence comes responsibility, and we take that seriously. It’s a privilege to have the platforms we do, and we’d NEVER want someone else to get hurt from an idea from one of our videos. With that being said, we’ve decided to take anything down related to the Disney shoe video. We hope that in time, you’ll see that we are serious about the content we put out for the public to see, and we’re committed to being more careful and intentional with our posts moving forward. We want our platforms to feel like home, and a safe place for you to come and unwind, be uplifted, inspired and hopefully entertained. We love you all. #thekellyfam
It sounds to us like they’ve learned their lesson — or at least they definitely don’t want to get in trouble again! But what are YOUR thoughts on the whole situation? Will YOU still be following them? Let us know in the comments down below.
