You can now hire Santa Claus to teach your child the Christmas spirit with YouTube, TikTok and Google ruining Christmas for 11.8 million children each year.

 

At Exam Papers Plus, we specialise in education and private home tuition and are passionate about encouraging learning through the magic of Christmas.  Our new Santa School has now launched to mitigate the noise of social media scrooges and teach your child Christmas spirit from the oldest tutor in time.

 

Do you remember the first time the authenticity of Father Christmas first came into question for you as a child? Well, we at Exam Papers Plus discovered the world’s biggest search engines and social media platforms are ruining Christmas for 11.8 million children every year, with 7.7 million children as young as 2 sadly having their dreams shattered by YouTube and TikTok.

 

Our study analysed data from the world’s biggest search engines such as Google, YouTube and TikTok, to reveal there are around 11.8 million children searching for ‘Is Santa Real?’ every year, with YouTube having the highest at 5.6 million, and searches for ‘Is Santa Real?’’ spiking a whopping 3,344% each December on the platform. 85% of children ages 2-12 say they now watch YouTube, and almost all children aged 3 to 17 (96%) watch videos on video-sharing sites and apps, showing the scary amount of children who could have their dreams shattered at such a young age. 

 

When exploring the results generated by YouTube around searches for ‘Is Santa Real’, the first three results are all videos proving the jolly man’s existence, with the fourth result uploaded by Matt Walsh entitled ‘Santa Claus Is Real?’ debunking the existence of Father Christmas. The YouTube Short was uploaded 5 months ago and currently 321K views, where Matt Walsh interviews paediatrician Dr. Forcier and asks “have you ever met a 4-year-old who believes in Santa Claus?” Dr Forcier replies “yes” and Matt Walsh responds “so Santa Claus is real for them, but Santa Claus is not actually real”.

 

Looking at TikTok, who ranks second in the ‘naughty list’, #issantareal now has a whopping 12.2million views, with December search volumes topping the tables at a whopping 2.1 million searches. However, despite having less overall searches than YouTube it’s clear the TikTok is unfortunately spilling the festive tea sooner, with the top liked result showing a reaction to a 14-year-old finding out Santa isn’t real. The video went viral and has 3.1million likes, 142.5K favourites and 35.3K comments.

 

Another user on TikTok has shared a video of a girl talking about how she informed other children that Santa isn’t real. The video has 621K likes, 49.7K shares and 23K favourites. According to new data by Ofcom, TikTok is now being used by 53% of children, with half of the UK’s children between 3-17 using the app, highlighting the younger generation who are likely looking for content around Santa. 

 

Examining Google data, searches for ‘is santa real 2023’ have spiked 5,800% globally, with searches for ‘is Santa real?’ at a huge 3.1 million in December on average. The query generates 3.2 million results in 0.3 seconds, with the first result saying ‘Santa is real in the sense that he was an actual person’, leaving a sense of ambiguity for children who might still be below the rate of comprehension. 

 

The Naughty List: these are the top 5 platforms ruining Christmas for children in 2023

 

 

Following an unfortunate surge of children questioning Father Christmas’ reality, we at Exam Papers Plus have just launched Santa School, to teach kids all about the spirit of Christmas from the oldest teacher in time, Jolly Saint Nick.

 

You can now hire Santa Claus to tutor your child on the Christmas spirit this festive season – limited spaces available

 

 

As the world’s first teacher, Santa will take your child on a magical traditional-style learning course of Christmas where you’ll explore the many life lessons of the season. From spreading joy, laughing hard and even understanding how to have more ‘elf-belief’, Santa School is the perfect antidote for any early non-believers in your household.

 

The ‘Santa Syllabus’ explained

 

What does Santa School include? we hear you ask. At the time of enrolling your child, you’ll be assigned the genuine Santa Claus, to help your child excel in Christmas kindness, mindfulness, understanding compassion and patience, as well as having the opportunity to pick up some practical skills from Santa’s elves along the way. Each of our Santa School tuition packages includes specific areas of the school curriculum which are tied back to Christmas, so your child can learn in a new and magical way during the festive season. 

 

Various packages are available, depending on your child’s individual requirements, but here’s what you should expect from these magical masterclasses:

 

Package One: Christmas Presence

 

Learn mindfulness techniques developed by Santa Claus himself, including how to be fully present during the sometimes overwhelming festive season and beyond. In this package, your child will learn how to manage stress and work on understanding and labelling their emotions. 

 

Package Two: Elf Belief

 

There’s a lot we can all learn from Santa’s elves and here he’ll bring them in as teaching assistants to help your child further dexterous skills like joinery. Your child will also learn all about raw materials and how you can make your family thoughtful Christmas gifts at home. Santa’s elves will also teach your child the basics of baking Christmas cookies in a Montessori-style teaching method.

 

Package Three: Deck the School Halls

 

The all ‘caroling’ package includes all of the above, with an added appearance from Santa’s head-reindeer, Rudolf. One of the red nosed reindeer’s secret teachings is how your difference is your strength, here Santa will discuss how you can apply Rudolf’s lessons to every day parts of your life. 

 

During the Santa Claus tutoring sessions, he will also focus on some core areas of the school curriculum to ensure your child is learning additional skills to help them excel in the classroom:

 

Santa will have your child ‘slaying’ physics

 

Non-believers will often use Santa’s sleigh as an example of why Santa surely can’t be real, but here Father Christmas himself will debunk claims from the Scrooge’s of times gone by and show you how it’s entirely possible through simple physics calculations. 

 

Santa shows your child how numbers can put you on the ‘nice list’

 

From Christmas present budgeting tips to calculating speed, time and distance, Santa will make maths magical, with every child walking away feeling confident in their new numerical abilities. 

 

Your child will brush up on their English skills through a ‘Letter to Santa’ writing service

 

Santa will go through your child’s Christmas list letter and guide them on grammar, delivery and sentence structure, helping them feel much more confident in their writing ability. Depending on your child’s age, Santa will also help develop your child’s phonics skills through traditional Christmas stories. 

 

Coming soon: Limited spaces available, subscribe now to avoid disappointment 

 

Christmas Counselling for Parents

 

As part of the Santa School tuition, we at Exam Papers Plus, are proud to offer a festive service for parents who feel like they might need additional support, coaching and guidance around the festive season from our expert tutors.

 

Our tutors will be focusing on important modules such as how you can keep the Christmas spirit alive, and classes for parents to help them explain the realities of Santa Claus to your children. 

 

Expert Opinion: Explaining the truth to your child around Father Christmas and how to mitigate sadness

 

With social media becoming ever present in younger children’s lives, the likelihood of them discovering the truth is now an often early reality for millions of parents worldwide. Here at Exam Papers Plus, we work with thousands of teachers and tutors, and have compiled advice on knowing when your child is ‘ready’,  how you can explain the truth in the best way to help mitigate sadness and how to convert the belief in Santa into other expressions of Christmas spirit. 

 

Faisal Nasim, Private tutor and founder of Exam Papers Plus says: “Teachers and tutors are ever cautious about what we say regarding Father Christmas when children ask, and it’s disappointing to see that the top platforms including YouTube, TikTok and Google are all disclosing this information based on children’s quick searches online”. 

 

Faisal Nasim continues: “Millions of children are now using YouTube in their homes as both sources of entertainment and for research purposes to help compile homework, with toddlers as young as 2 and 3 even knowing how to operate voice search for YouTube and other platforms. We’re calling on YouTube, TikTok and Google to look into how they can detect these queries from being shown to younger children, and give their parents more time in breaking the news”.

 

The telltale signs your child is ‘ready’ to learn the truth – let them hear it from you and not YouTube

 

If your child isn’t ready to hear the truth, they simply won’t accept it, or they might not even be able to fully comprehend what you’re explaining. Every child is of course different, and it’s important to assess their own comprehension and maturity level when deciding whether or not they’re ready, some children might be ready to hear the truth at a younger age, while others might need more time. However, there are a number of telltale signs which might indicate your child is developmentally ready to know the truth surrounding Father Christmas, we’ve compiled key indicators from our experts below:

 

1) They’re already questioning the possibility of the more ‘elaborate’ traditions 

 

Is your child asking questions around the probability of delivering presents to every child in the world in just one night, or maybe wondering how Santa could physically fit down your chimney? Then, this is a telltale sign that their brains are making the distinction between reality and logical possibility meaning it might be ready to spill the beans. 

 

2) They’re asking more sophisticated questions about Santa’s magic 

 

If your child is delving deeper into the realms of Santa’s magic it could be a good indicator they could be asking you about the reality of his existence soon. For example, they might ask how Santa gets his reindeers and sleigh to fly? Or how could know what every child in the world wants for Christmas?

 

3) Noticing inconsistencies in the Santa story 

 

Children and their enquiring minds can pick up on the smallest of details which could lead them to question inconsistencies in the overall Santa story. For example, they might be wondering why ‘Santa’s’ wrapping paper is the same as the one they saw on your kitchen countertops, or why Santa’s handwriting looks suspiciously like yours.

 

4) The excitement around Santa is starting to fade away

 

Does your child seem as though their excitement around Santa, and maybe even Christmas is somewhat stifled? If they seem generally disinterested or bored when you talk about Santa it might be that they’ve started to question his reality in their own minds but not actually voiced it to you. 

 

5) They’re starting to compare Santa to other mythical creatures

 

If your child doesn’t already believe in other mythical creatures such as the Tooth Fairy or Easter Bunny, you might notice they’ll start making the comparison between them and Santa, this indicates they are already making the connection and it might be time to have the chat. 

 

Experts reveals the best way to tell your child the truth about Father Christmas to mitigate sadness  

 

Telling your child the truth about the legendary festive figure is a difficult conversation for parents, but it’s one that can actually help convert the belief in Santa into other expressions of Christmas spirit, and reignite their love of the festive season. 

 

1) Choose the right time 

 

Both the setting and timing of delivering this news can help lay the foundations for a more magical delivery. Tell them in a quiet place where you can avoid interruption and be alone with your child, as having the conversation in front of other children could leave them with negative feelings of guilt and shame, especially if the other children already know or have worked out the truth. 

 

2) Start with an open question 

 

The best way to open up the conversation is to ask them what they already know about Santa, this will help get a feel for where they’re at in terms of understanding but it will also allow for a flow of organic conversation where you can tailor your responses accordingly. 

 

3) Explain the idea of Santa

 

This is where you can start to explain the legendary figure of Father Christmas and the beautiful beliefs behind the man in the red suit. The truth about Santa is that he’s not a person at all, he’s an idea and the thought of giving for the sake of giving, without expectation of thanks or acknowledgement. Here’s where you can mention the presents you bought for your child and how special it felt to watch them be opened and enjoyed, even though you were never thanked. 

 

4) Reassure your child

 

Explain that Santa Claus can live in all of us, and it’s our job to keep the secret for younger children, and you can help us select presents for them, as well as look for opportunities to help other people, not just at Christmas but all year-round. Here you can explain that other children of a similar age might just be working this out and they’re not alone in knowing that Santa is an idea, but remind them that it’s now up to all of us to carry the idea forward.

 

5) Focus on the positive aspects of Christmas

 

Here’s where you can explain how the idea of Santa Claus embodies the spirit of Christmas. Remind your child that the festive season is about spending time with family, giving back to loved ones and the community, and moving our thinking towards peace, love, hope and generosity. 

 

The top 10 questions your child will ask around Father Christmas 

 

At Exam Papers Plus, we asked our network of teachers and private home tutors the most common questions children ask them about Santa Claus to help you forecast what’s likely going to be asked when your child reaches the age of comprehension. 

 

1. Why do all Santa’s look different? 
2. How old is Santa? 
3. How does Santa know what I want for Christmas if I didn’t write a letter? 
4. How can Santa deliver presents to all the houses in the world in just one night?
5. How can Santa fit down my chimney, and what about the children who don’t have chimneys? 
6. How can Santa eat all the mince pies at every house he visits? 
7. How does Santa know where I live? 
8. Does Santa really bring my Christmas presents or is it my parents?
9. How does Santa make his reindeers and sleigh fly? 
10. Why does only one of Santa’s reindeers have a red nose? 

 

Sources:

• All keyword research was gathered through keywordtool.io 
• Ofcom data: https://metro.co.uk/2023/03/29/half-of-uks-children-between-3-and-17-use-tiktok-and-snapchat-18522630/ 
• 85% of children ages 2-12 say they now watch YouTube:https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/new-data-shows-youtube-dominates-video-landscape-for-kids 
•  Almost all children aged 3 to 17 (96%) watch videos on video-sharing sites and apps: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/news-centre/2023/life-online-for-children-and-young-adults-revealed