Keeping the belief in Santa alive
The internet contributes to children discovering Santa isn’t real at a younger age—driving down the average age Kiwi kids stop believing from almost nine years old in their parents’ childhood to under seven years old.
Children will eventually discover the truth about Santa but it’s now happening much earlier than parents are happy with. Today, as a result of social media, targeted advertising and the truth of Santa being just a quick Google search away, youngsters are ever more likely to come across the reality of Santa Claus while they’re online.
The age belief ends
According to new research of 2,058 New Zealand parents, by virtual private network provider www.hidemyass.com, the internet is playing a major role in altering children’s Christmas beliefs. One in seven parents said that the internet was responsible for their children finding out that Santa Claus is not real.
A generation ago, the responding parents stopped believing in Santa at an average of 8½ years old compared with children born in the last 20 years where the average age they stopped believing in Santa was just over 6½ years old (6.73 years).
The online culprits
The most common online offender was advertising. Thirty-eight per cent of children had their Santa suspicions raised after seeing ads online for the gifts they’d wished for in their letters to the North Pole.
Over a third performed a Google search for Santa and clicked onto a web page explaining that he was no more than a merry myth. While 29 per cent children simply watched on in the background as their parents shopped online for Christmas presents.
Meanwhile, for one in five children, their holiday happiness came crashing down after reading an unfortunate Tweet or Facebook post saying that Santa is make believe.
Reflecting the fact that this generation’s youngsters are effectively born internet literate, the research shows that seven per cent of children have turned cyber sleuth and looked through their parents’ internet search history or online shopping accounts to find evidence that mum and dad had procured the Christmas presents, not Mr Claus and his elves.
Keep believing in Santa
To help parents keep the wonder alive, HMA! has made available a simple plug-in that can be installed on home computers to let children continue to browse the internet without stumbling onan un-Christmassy news.
The Keep Believing in Santa plug-in can be downloaded free from the HMA! website. The development of the software has already been welcomed by 64 per cent of parents in New Zealand who are keen to see an online feature that will help preserve the mystery of Santa Claus for their children that little bit longer—something 68 per cent see as important.
The internet contributes to children discovering Santa isn’t real at a younger age—driving down the average age Kiwi kids stop believing from almost nine years old in their parents’ childhood to under seven years old.
Children will eventually discover the truth about Santa but it’s now happening...
The internet contributes to children discovering Santa isn’t real at a younger age—driving down the average age Kiwi kids stop believing from almost nine years old in their parents’ childhood to under seven years old.
Children will eventually discover the truth about Santa but it’s now happening much earlier than parents are happy with. Today, as a result of social media, targeted advertising and the truth of Santa being just a quick Google search away, youngsters are ever more likely to come across the reality of Santa Claus while they’re online.
The age belief ends
According to new research of 2,058 New Zealand parents, by virtual private network provider www.hidemyass.com, the internet is playing a major role in altering children’s Christmas beliefs. One in seven parents said that the internet was responsible for their children finding out that Santa Claus is not real.
A generation ago, the responding parents stopped believing in Santa at an average of 8½ years old compared with children born in the last 20 years where the average age they stopped believing in Santa was just over 6½ years old (6.73 years).
The online culprits
The most common online offender was advertising. Thirty-eight per cent of children had their Santa suspicions raised after seeing ads online for the gifts they’d wished for in their letters to the North Pole.
Over a third performed a Google search for Santa and clicked onto a web page explaining that he was no more than a merry myth. While 29 per cent children simply watched on in the background as their parents shopped online for Christmas presents.
Meanwhile, for one in five children, their holiday happiness came crashing down after reading an unfortunate Tweet or Facebook post saying that Santa is make believe.
Reflecting the fact that this generation’s youngsters are effectively born internet literate, the research shows that seven per cent of children have turned cyber sleuth and looked through their parents’ internet search history or online shopping accounts to find evidence that mum and dad had procured the Christmas presents, not Mr Claus and his elves.
Keep believing in Santa
To help parents keep the wonder alive, HMA! has made available a simple plug-in that can be installed on home computers to let children continue to browse the internet without stumbling onan un-Christmassy news.
The Keep Believing in Santa plug-in can be downloaded free from the HMA! website. The development of the software has already been welcomed by 64 per cent of parents in New Zealand who are keen to see an online feature that will help preserve the mystery of Santa Claus for their children that little bit longer—something 68 per cent see as important.
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