TSA has outdone itself (this time with socks) just when you thought their warnings couldn’t get any stranger. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued what may prove to be its most bizarre warning to date: stop putting sparklers in your socks as passengers crowded airports over the Fourth of July weekend.
No, seriously. This happened.
The TSA informed travelers (many of whom were probably leaving for Independence Day celebrations) that fireworks, including sparklers, are strictly banned in both carry-on and checked baggage in a series of funny yet critical social media posts. Everyone’s focus was drawn to the agency’s oddly detailed note with regard to sock smuggling, though.
“Fireworks don’t belong in your bags,” TSA wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on July 3. “We’ve seen bottle rockets in backpacks and sparklers in socks (yes, really)… If your bags start crackling, hissing, or chanting ‘U.S.A.,’ you’re doing it wrong.”
The internet was ablaze with confusion, giggles, as well as anxiety just in response to the alert.
The TSA’s Strange but Serious Sock Sparkler PSA
Although it seems like something from a bad sitcom, TSA officials maintain that the habit of people tucking fireworks into their socks is a real and common issue. This July 4th, Americans would have been traveling in record numbers, so the agency’s creative caution is more than just charm.
The TSA has honestly caught travelers attempting to bring in small explosive substances like sparklers by hiding them in socks, bags, and other weird places, as it laid out on its social media accounts.
Fireworks don’t belong in your bags. We’ve seen bottle rockets in backpacks and sparklers in socks (yes, really).
If your bags start crackling, hissing, or chanting “U.S.A.” you’re doing it wrong. #PackSmart pic.twitter.com/Y6Tij925TC— TSA (@TSA) July 3, 2025
Even more clever advice was added after that in another Facebook post: “Let’s make sure the only fires flying are at the cookout, not in your bags… Not in carry-on ❌ Not in checked bags ❌ Not even the ‘one little sparkler for the kids.’ Pack snacks, not sparks.” To reply to even the most peculiar travel questions, the agency even suggested texting “SPARKZ” to AskTSA.
Both sparklers and fireworks are strictly banned with no exceptions, according to the TSA’s “What Can I Bring?” list. But this hasn’t stopped travelers from trying, especially on holiday weekends when people are inclined toward rash packing.
The Bizarre Banned List Grows
The TSA’s list of odd bans is longer than the JFK summer security line, even though today’s headline is about sparklers in socks. The agency revised its list of prohibited items this summer, putting nine oddly specific items that travelers still bring with them, some of which you wouldn’t think would serve as red flags.
The most unexpected criminals? Magic 8-Balls (more liquid), foam toy swords (too realistic?), gel heating pads (they count as liquids), British Christmas crackers (because of the pop), and even the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which has been banned for a long time because of its explosive battery history.
FAA Statement on Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Devices https://t.co/NADpT5Jma4 pic.twitter.com/e9uJvNmUUq
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) September 8, 2016
The agency has obviously seen it all, and then some, when you add fertilizer, cooking spray, gel candles, and party poppers.
What is the primary point? Anything that fits in a sock or seems harmless does not automatically count as airport-approved. Recently, a woman was arrested at LAX for having 82 fireworks in her bag. In the words of Jason Pantages of TSA at the time, “The sheer number of prohibited items discovered in a single carry-on bag is extremely concerning.”
NEXT: TSA Just Banned These 7 Popular Food Items—Including America’s Favorite Airport Snack
