By Laura Holliday

Copyright dailydot

A TikToker has shared that her daughter couldn’t wear these shoes in the classroom, and everyone instantly knew why

With kids now back at school, parents are sharing their experiences with new classroom rules. For one TikToker, though, the discourse went a lot deeper than initially expected.

In a viral video posted on Sept. 16, 2025, TikToker Dana (@muadana) showed viewers the cute pink Croc-style shoes she had purchased for her daughter, before demonstrating their light-up mechanism as the realization sank in. Some commenters were confused as to why this meant the shoes wouldn’t be suitable for a classroom, but others instantly understood.

Why light-up shoes raise safety concerns in America

The video, which has 1.5M views as of September 18th, was posted alongside the caption “IYKYK. I hate it here.” Dana—a mom of 4—explained to viewers the reasoning for the new school rule.“This is how you know that living in America is so f****d up”, she began. “My four-year-old daughter’s school asked us for classroom Crocs,” she said. “They are meant only for the classroom so they don’t bring in outside germs.”

@muadana IYKYK. I hate it here. ♬ original sound – dana

Dana explains that she headed to DSW where she bought a pair of pink Croc-style Skechers shoes adorned with rainbow hearts, stars and unicorns. “I knew that she would absolutely adore them, and she did,” she said.

However, Dana soon realized that the shoes were unsuitable for her daughter, demonstrating this by tapping the rainbow heart, causing the entire shoe to flash and illuminate. Dana didn’t need to say why; commenters instantly flooded in with support and acknowledgement.

What parents outside the U.S. didn’t understand

“Every parent in America understood this video,” wrote one commenter.

“I don’t put beads in my daughters hair during the school year for the same reason,” someone else said.

User Lexi’s Mom showed her support, adding, “Uvalde mom here. It shouldn’t be this way” to which other commenters expressed sympathy.

Other comments came from users living outside the United States who expressed initial confusion, before coming to a realization.

“Canadian here. I had no idea what the problem was until I read the comments,” said MaggieMay.

“I don’t get it? However I’m Australian so this may be why. Is pink not allowed?” user Bbbec questioned.

“The lights can expose her while she’s hiding in an active shooter situation,” Dana later clarified.

“Before I had kids, another mom told me she would never buy her kids light-up shoes for school because in the case of an active shooter, the lights would give her child away. That stuck with me and will for the rest of my life,” Dana told the Daily Dot.

“How something so innocent, is so dangerous for our children, all because the United States loves its Second Amendment so much.”

Why are light-up shoes not allowed in some schools?

Dana’s video isn’t the first to address this. Light-up shoes, a mainstay of the 1990s and 2000s, have recently become a topic of discussion across the internet in response to rising concerns about gun violence in the United States.

Discourse around this typically peaks in August and September amid the back-to-school rush. TikToker Sam (@heal.out.loud) posted a video on August 3rd expressing her shock at discovering the shoes could endanger kids.

“I was absolutely appalled to find out that some of these active shooters will specifically look for the lighting up of children’s shoes, because that gives them an active target,” she said.

@heal.out.loud Just one piece of advice to keep your babies safe this school year #backtoschool #shoes #schoolsafety #safetyadvice #parentsoftiktok #momsoftiktok #dadsoftiktok #teachersoftiktok #busdriversoftiktok #protectthechildren #fyp ♬ War Worship – Spiritual Warfare Music Epic

Others have previously taken to subreddits, including r/AmIOverreacting to seek advice on the issue. One post from September 2024 reads, “My son is 3 and started pre-school this year. My mom wanted to buy him his very first pair of school shoes. She got him a pair of light up Sketchers and was really excited about them but my first thought was of him trying to run/hide from a school shooter and his shoes giving him away.”

Redditors also provided broader clothing advice to parents scared about sending their children to school. “If it’s a school without a uniform, dark clothing. Do not do light-up shoes or sequined/glitter items,” u/DownwiththeMomLife explained.

Dana also revealed that she saw similar comments on her own video—prompting her to buy sneakers for her daughter instead. “Another parent in my comments said they don’t let their kids wear crocs to school because they can’t run fast enough in case of a school shooting,” she told The Daily Dot.

Although Dana and other parents are trading tips among themselves irregardless of school policy, some schools are implementing stricter guidelines or bans and warning students directly about this known issue. Last year TikToker @kountrykel, explained to 1.3M viewers that she first learned about the dangers of light up shoes from her young daughter, after buying some for her toddler.

“So at the school they teach them not to wear things that are light up or bright, they bring attention to them. And this made me extremely sad, deep down” she said.

“They were something that used to bring joy to little kids,” she reflected sadly.