How Santa keeps calls safe

A call from Santa is a short, happy chat that your child has with you right beside them. We’ve thought carefully about keeping it that way. Here’s how.

A grown-up is always there

• Santa only calls the UK mobile you give us, and we text you a code first to check it’s really your phone.
• When you book, you agree to answer the call yourself and stay with your child, on loudspeaker, for the whole call.
• Santa says hello to you first, then asks for your child by name.
• Calls are short: about three minutes. Santa says goodbye and ends the call himself.

We’re honest that Santa’s voice is AI

Santa’s voice is created by AI and replies live to what your child says. We say so on every page where you book. If a grown-up asks Santa whether he’s a computer, he says yes. He never claims to be a real person. What you tell your child about who’s calling is up to you.

What Santa will never do

• Ask for a surname, address, school, passwords or photos.
• Ask your child to keep a secret.
• Say he’ll visit, watch or come into your home.
• Promise a particular present. He says the elves are working very hard.
• Talk about religion, politics or anything scary.
• Repeat rude words, or join in with anything unkind or inappropriate.

If something tricky comes up

Children say all sorts of things, so Santa has clear rules for the tricky moments:

• “Are you real?” He keeps the magic gently, without arguing.
• A cheeky word. “Ooh, that’s not a word we use at the North Pole!” Then on he goes, without telling your child off.
• Sad news, like someone who has died or a family going through a hard time. He’s gentle and kind, and never promises to fix things.
• “We can’t have presents this year.” He never hints that presents will come, and never contradicts you.
• A child says something worrying about being hurt, scared or unsafe. Santa stays calm, says it isn’t their fault, and asks them to tell a grown-up they trust. He never asks questions about it and never promises to keep it secret.
• Someone tries to misuse the call. Santa steers back to Christmas once, and if it carries on, he says a polite goodbye and ends the call.

We test Santa against these situations, and more, every time we change how he works.

After the call

Every call is checked automatically afterwards for anything that might need a person to look at it, such as a child saying something worrying, or someone misusing the call. Anything flagged is read by our safeguarding lead, normally within 24 hours. They follow our written safeguarding policy, which includes getting advice from the NSPCC and, if a child could be in danger, calling 999.

Your child’s information

• We only ask for what Santa needs: your child’s first name, their age, their Christmas list and something they’ve done well.
• We never keep an audio recording of the call.
• We keep a written transcript for 30 days to check the call went well, then delete it. A transcript flagged for a safety check is kept until it has been reviewed.
• We delete booking details after 31 January following your call.
• We never sell your information or use it for advertising.

The details are in our privacy notice.

Questions?

We’re happy to help. Email [email protected].