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It’s a question most of us have asked ourselves at some point early in our lives: Is Santa Claus real?
But unlike in the past, kids today seem to turn to Google instead of their parents for answers.
Unfortunately, Google Search has responded by telling searchers that “there is no man in the sky riding a reindeer sleigh.”
This is despite the fact that the US military follows him every year on Christmas Eve, while a study last year even determined the carbon footprint of his trip.
Now, several exasperated parents are calling on the search giant to change its top results, amid fears it is destroying the magic altogether.
Jake Moore, a technology expert and security advisor at ESET, said his 11-year-old daughter “Googled the big question”: “Is Santa Claus real?”
Jake Moore, technology expert and security advisor at ESET, said his 11-year-old daughter Googled the big question: “Is Santa Claus real?”
The top response was a blog post from Hotel Chocolat, which said “there is no man in heaven riding a reindeer sleigh,” while acknowledging that Santa Claus “is not a completely made-up person.”
in a cheepMoore tagged Google and said, “Can we ask @Google to remove this rich snippet?”
Since then, Google appears to have changed the top search result “Is Santa Claus real?” to a Parade.com post that says, “According to historical records, Santa is real.”
However, writing ‘Is Santa real?’ and other variations will still show the Hotel Chocolat post claiming it doesn’t exist.
MailOnline has contacted Google for comment.
Moore told MailOnline: “I don’t really care that much about my 11-year-old, but if my 8-year-old Googled him I would be devastated.”
“Though, hopefully, I’d say you can’t believe everything on the Internet.”
Moore is not the only person to have addressed the issue on X (formerly known as Twitter) in the run-up to December 25.
Exasperated parents are calling on the search giant to change its top results, amid fears it is destroying the magic altogether.
It’s a question most of us have asked ourselves at some point early in our lives: Is Santa Claus real? But unlike in the past, kids today seem to turn to Google for the answer.
Moore isn’t the only person to address the issue on X (formerly Twitter) in the run-up to December 25.
User I think Santa is real.’
Another user, @jenniwoww, posted: ‘How about someone Google “Is Santa real?” the best options say it is during the holidays.
“Just a thought for all the kids who are curious about their iPads.”
Another suggested creating a website dedicated to children “about the truthfulness of Santa Claus.”
The problem seems to have gone on for years without Google doing much about it.
In December 2021, a Twitter user posted: ‘When your two youngest kids have had enough and just Google “Is Santa Claus real?”‘
Another Twitter user posted in 2019: ‘Look and my ten year old sister says “is Santa real?” in the Google search bar.’
An X user suggested creating a website dedicated to children ‘about the truthfulness of Santa Claus’
‘Is Santa Claus real?’ The problem seems to have been going on for years without Google doing much about it
According to a 2019 report from Exam Paper Plus, 1.1 million children are told on Google Search that Saint Nicholas is a fictional character.
However, he found that smart assistants are more thoughtful and creative when it comes to their responses to the query, neither confirming nor denying the truth.
Google Assistant responded: “If Santa Claus gave me a gift, I wouldn’t ask any questions.”
And Amazon’s Alexa responded: “All I know is that someone’s been eating mince pies and Santa looks like that guy.”