You might have come across the viral social media claim recently that Disneyland in California has banned screaming on rides. This claim has been circulating everywhere, racking up thousands of views on both YouTube and Facebook.
But have the days of screaming on roller coasters really come to an end? Here’s how we fact-checked it.
Look for evidence
Whenever you come across a claim on social media, you want to be looking for any proof that what the person is saying is legit — like links to reputable articles or studies. In the YouTube video version of this claim, the creator includes a screenshot of an article from The Orange County Register. However, the screenshot only shows the headline as opposed to the full article.
Read past the headline
We found the referenced article by heading directly to The Orange County Register’s website. The headline states: “No screaming on California roller coasters and thrill rides, state guidelines say.”
According to the article, the California Attractions and Parks Association, CAPA, put out a Responsible Reopening Plan. The plan outlines steps amusement parks can take to meet the state’s reopening criteria and addresses the need to limit shouting on rides and attractions.
However, further down the article, it states that these guidelines do not require parks to prohibit screaming. This is why it’s so important to read past the headline — to make sure you have all the facts.
Read primary sources
Taking a look at the Responsible Reopening Plan, at the very bottom under the blueprint plan, it says to “limit activities that are known to cause increased spread,” and includes screaming as one of them, along with heavy breathing and singing. But the plan doesn’t say to ban screaming altogether. Instead, it says parks should try to mitigate the effects of shouting by requiring face coverings or making modifications to seat loading patterns.
See what other sources are saying
According to PolitiFact, CAPA, the trade group that developed the guidelines, responded to the claim, pointing out that it never recommended parks ban yelling or screaming on rides. PolitiFact also reported that on March 18, CAPA tweeted, “At no point has CAPA recommended limiting or prohibiting yelling or screaming on amusement park rides as a way to mitigate transmission of COVID-19.”
USA Today also reported that the confusion stemmed from the CAPA guidelines, but that the plan does not actually advocate for banning screaming on rides.
Rating
Not legit. While California theme parks will begin to take precautionary measures such as significantly reduced capacity, mandatory masking and modified seat loading patterns to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, nowhere in the plan does it say parks will need to ban screaming on rides.
