# Is AI Santa Safe for Kids? What to Check Before Your Child Makes the Call **Author:** Dan Fitzpatrick **Canonical URL:** https://parents.theaieducator.io/posts/is-ai-santa-safe-for-kids **Published:** 2026-11-10T07:12:21.000Z **Updated:** 2026-11-10T07:12:52.392Z **Category:** Safety and Wellbeing ## TL;DR An AI Santa call is usually low-risk if a parent sits beside the child, the app's privacy policy has been read, and no real names, school, address or photo go in. The bigger risks are stored voice and details, surprise spending and a young child thinking Santa is real. No setting can guarantee any of that. ## Key takeaways - Before the first call, read the app's privacy policy for three things: whether your child's voice is recorded, how long anything is kept, and how to delete it. - Give Santa a first name or nickname only. Leave out surnames, school, address and photos. - Turn on purchase approval in your phone's family settings before opening the app, because some apps sell weekly subscriptions or call packs. - Sit beside your child for the first call and tell them plainly that this Santa is made by a computer. - Treat an app's privacy label as a prompt to read the policy, not as proof: labels are filled in by developers. ## Article An AI Santa call is usually low-risk when you sit beside your child, choose an app whose privacy policy you have read, and keep real names, school and address out of it. The bigger risks are not what Santa says. They are your child's voice and details being stored, surprise spending, and a young child not knowing Santa is software. No app setting can guarantee any of that. > **Verdict:** Yes with conditions, for a child who can hold a conversation and a parent who stays in the room. > > **Age:** Under about 6, I would skip the live conversation and read a letter or watch a pre-made video together. That is my judgment, not a research finding. > > **Tonight:** Before anyone presses dial, find the app's privacy policy and look for three things: whether the child's voice is recorded, how long anything is kept, and how you delete it. ## What is an AI Santa call, and who makes it? It is an app or website where your child talks to a Santa character that is software, not a person. Some use voice, some use video, some use text. They are made by many different companies, and what each does with a conversation differs. Two examples show the range. [TechCrunch reported on December 10, 2025](https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/10/ai-startup-tavus-founder-says-users-talk-to-its-ai-santa-for-hours-per-day/) that startup Tavus offers an AI Santa that families can reach by text, phone or video chat, and that the company says the character can see a user's expressions and remember conversations. On the App Store, one listing I read on November 10, 2026, [Call Santa's Hotline](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/call-santas-hotline/id6471460601), describes itself as "Fueled by the magic of ChatGPT technology." I have not tested any of these products. What follows is what their own pages and the regulators say. ## What happens to my child's voice? In the United States, the answer starts with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule, known as COPPA, which covers children under 13. The FTC's compliance guide (page dated May 2026) lists "a photo, video, or audio file containing a child's image or voice" as personal information. The FTC's [COPPA FAQ](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions) lists mobile apps and voice assistants among the services the rule covers. An app that is not aimed at children can still be covered if it has actual knowledge that a child is using it. The rule was amended in 2025. According to the [Federal Register notice](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/22/2025-05904/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule), the amendments took effect June 23, 2025, and most companies had until April 22, 2026 to comply. So this Christmas is the first one where the updated rule applies. The FTC's [six-step compliance plan](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-six-step-compliance-plan-your-business) says companies "cannot retain personal information collected from a child indefinitely," and that they need "separate verifiable parental consent for third-party disclosures, unless that disclosure is integral to your site or service." That is the rule. Whether a particular app follows it is something no rule can tell you. Here is how TechCrunch described one company's data practice: its CEO, Hassaan Raza, said Tavus collects "logs, session timestamps, metadata, and other information users choose to share during their chats," and that users can ask for their data to be deleted. That is one company's account of itself, and it is a more specific answer than many apps give. If you are in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office says its [Children's code](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/childrens-information/childrens-code-guidance-and-resources/) applies to "providers of online services that are likely to be accessed by children." The ICO notes that this guidance is under review following the Data (Use and Access) Act, which became law on June 19, 2025. ## Can I trust the privacy label in the App Store? Treat it as a starting point. The Call Santa's Hotline listing I read on November 10, 2026 carries the note that its privacy information "has not been verified by Apple." Together with a second listing, it shows how differently two apps can describe themselves. Call Santa's Hotline is rated 4+ and lists "Purchases" under data used to track you, "Identifiers" linked to you, and several kinds of usage and contact data not linked to you. [Call a Claus](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/call-a-claus-ai-santa/id6738489801) is also rated 4+ and lists only "Identifiers" (a user ID) under data not linked to you. Its description says "Parents can add details about their child," and its label does not list child details or voice data. That does not prove anything is wrong. Labels are filled in by developers, and I cannot tell you from a listing what happens to a recording. My reading is that a short label is a prompt to read the privacy policy, not a reason to relax. A 4+ rating also tells you about the content in the app. It does not answer the data question. An older example shows why dates matter. A [company blog post announcing the Santa Cat app](https://www.daily.co/blog/talk-to-santa-cat-live-announcing-the-worlds-first-ai-powered-santa-calling-app/) (December 5, 2023) said "It does not require a phone number or login information, nor does it record video or audio." That is a vendor's own claim from 2023, and I did not check whether it still holds. Check the current policy, not the launch post. ## Will my child know it is not the real Santa? Not always, and the younger the child, the less likely. The NSPCC's [guidance on talking to children about AI](https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/talking-to-children-about-ai/) (undated, read November 10, 2026) lists "Identity confusion" among the risks: "children may struggle to tell whether they're interacting with a real person or an AI system." TechCrunch's report on Tavus says the same: "Children may struggle to distinguish between AI and a real person." An AI Santa is a harder version of that problem, because the whole point is to be believed. If your child already believes in Santa, a voice that answers back, knows their name and sounds delighted to hear from them is a very convincing Santa. My view is that this is fine as play, as long as the parent is the one who frames it. It is a poor idea to let it become the only place your child talks to Santa. You could say: "This is a Santa helper that a computer makes. It talks like Santa, but it is not the real one, and it does not know you the way I do." You could say: "If Santa ever asks something that feels strange, like where we live or what's on our street, stop and tell me. That is a rule for every call." For more on explaining software to a child, see [how to explain AI to a child](https://parents.theaieducator.io/posts/how-to-explain-ai-to-a-child). ## What about AI Santa videos made from my child's photo? Some services turn an uploaded photo into a personalized Santa message. The FTC counts a photo of a child as personal information, so the same questions apply: where does the picture go, how long is it kept, and can you delete it. My advice is to use a stock Santa video and add your child's name in the message, not a photo. [What happens to a child's photo once it is uploaded](https://parents.theaieducator.io/posts/ai-school-photos) is worth reading before you do. ## What I Would Do at Home Here is the five-minute check I would run before any AI Santa call. It is my suggestion, not a legal test. 1. **Find the privacy policy and read the data section.** Look for whether voice is recorded, how long anything is kept, and who else receives it. If you cannot find it in two minutes, that is your answer. 2. **Look at what the app asks for.** A first name or a nickname is plenty. Do not enter a surname, school, address or photo. Some apps invite parents to "add details" about the child, which makes the call feel magical and gives the company more to hold. 3. **Check how the call starts.** Prefer an app where you or your child starts the call. Be careful about entering a child's phone number into any service. 4. **Switch off surprise spending first.** One listing I read showed a weekly subscription at $3.99 and call packs from $1.99, as displayed on November 10, 2026. Turn on purchase approval in your phone's family settings (Ask to Buy on Apple devices) before you open the app. 5. **Sit beside your child for the first call.** Listen to what Santa says back. Then decide whether a second call is a good idea. 6. **Set an end time.** TechCrunch's headline quotes Tavus's founder on users talking to its AI Santa "for hours" per day, which is the company's claim. Decide in advance that one call is five or ten minutes. 7. **Afterward, delete.** As a parent in the US you have the right, in the FTC's words, "to review the information collected about your child" and to have it deleted, and you can "retract your consent any time" ([FTC consumer advice](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/protecting-your-childs-privacy-online), May 2026). Ask the company to do it. > **The best AI Santa call is the one that is magic for your child and forgettable for the company.** ## How does this change by age? Under 6: I would skip the live conversation. A letter read aloud, or a pre-made video you watch together, gives the magic without a stranger-sounding voice that answers back. 6 to 8: A short call with a parent in the room, on an app you have checked. This is the age where the "it is a computer Santa" line matters most. 9 to 12: Most will know. They may find it funny, and some will try to trick it or make it say something silly. That is a good moment to talk about [how chatbots work](https://parents.theaieducator.io/posts/how-to-teach-kids-about-ai), and what they are not. 13 and over: A teenager is unlikely to want a call. If a younger sibling does, a teenager can be a useful second pair of ears. For the age rules on the wider set of AI tools, see [the minimum age for each tool](https://parents.theaieducator.io/posts/what-age-can-kids-use-ai). Please do not use an AI Santa to threaten a child with the naughty list. Searches such as "ai santa for naughty kids" show up in Google autocomplete. My view is that using a convincing voice to frighten a small child is a bad bargain, however funny it seems in the moment. ## What can a privacy policy or setting not guarantee? It cannot guarantee that what a company says it does is what it does. A label is self-reported. A deletion request depends on the company acting on it. A content filter, which TechCrunch says Tavus has, reduces the chance of a bad answer. It does not remove it. And nothing in an app can decide for you whether your child is ready to talk to a convincing voice that is not a person. If you are buying an AI toy as a gift, the same questions apply, and there is more to ask. [Are AI toys safe for kids](https://parents.theaieducator.io/posts/are-ai-toys-safe-for-kids) covers what the tests found. ## When do age limits, school rules or professional advice come first? An app's own terms and age rating come first over my suggestions. If the app says a child needs a parent's permission, you need to give it. If your child seems confused, frightened or upset after a conversation with an AI character, or cannot tell what is real, talk to your pediatrician or family doctor (in the UK, your GP). School rules rarely cover a holiday app at home, but if your child's school has said anything about AI at home, follow it. If your child's school has not spoken to parents about AI yet, this is the work I do with schools: [helping a school find out how ready it is](https://theaieducator.io/school-ai-readiness?utm_source=parents.theaieducator.io&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=is-ai-santa-safe-for-kids). It is worth sending to your head of year or principal. I write a Sunday newsletter that keeps teachers and parents up to date without the panic, and parents are very welcome to [join it](https://theaieducator.io/?utm_source=parents.theaieducator.io&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=is-ai-santa-safe-for-kids#newsletter). *Dan Fitzpatrick is a former secondary teacher and assistant headteacher, founder of The AI Educator, and has trained more than 150,000 educators. [About Dan](https://theaieducator.io/about?utm_source=parents.theaieducator.io&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=is-ai-santa-safe-for-kids).* ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is a free AI Santa video call safe for my child? It can be, but free does not mean private. The FTC's COPPA guidance lists an audio file containing a child's voice as personal information, so read how the app handles recordings, how long it keeps anything and how you delete it. Stay in the room, and enter a first name only. ### What age is an AI Santa call suitable for? There is no official age, and an App Store rating such as 4+ is the developer's rating, not a verdict on data or on how convincing the voice is. My judgment is that children under about 6 do better with a read-aloud letter or a pre-made video, and children 6 to 8 with a parent in the room. ### Should I tell my child that AI Santa is not the real Santa? You do not have to spoil Santa, but you can be honest about the tool. Something like "this is a Santa helper that a computer makes" keeps the magic and still draws the line between a person and software, which the NSPCC says children can struggle to see. ### Can I make an AI Santa app delete my child's data? In the US, the FTC says parents of children under 13 have the right to review the information collected about their child, have it deleted and withdraw consent. Use the contact route in the app's privacy policy. I have not checked each app's UK process, so UK parents should check the policy's data-rights section. ### Can an AI Santa call my child at home without me? That depends on the service, so check how a call starts before you enter any phone number. Prefer apps where you or your child starts the call, and do not give a child's number to a service whose policy you have not read.