Santa impersonator goes viral after discussing consent with a three-year-old girl when she refuses to sit on his knee

He's known for teaching kids how to behave all year round, but now it looks like the jolly man in the big red suit is teaching them about consent.

In a viral video shared on TikTok, a Florida mom Katie Love showed her three-year-old daughter Adley taking a festive photo with her local Santa at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne in Miami.

Normally, children sit on Santa's lap for photos, but Adley had a different idea: He said a firm “no” when he asked the toddler if she wanted to sit on his knee.

Instead, the toddler stood next to Santa – and his reaction is going viral.

Santa responded by praising the young girl for expressing her feelings and setting boundaries, which Katie then asked him to repeat on camera.

“I said, 'This is her body and she's in control of her body,'” Santa explained in the clip, which was shared on TikTok.

“I asked if she wanted to sit on my lap, and she said, 'No,' and I said, 'A way to stand up for yourself,'” he continued.

'When Santa says, “Would you like to sit on my lap?” If you don't want that, say, 'No!' he added.

In the clip, little Adley looked a little terrified as she stood next to Santa, but stood firm in her decision not to sit on his lap.

It has been viewed more than two million times, with hundreds of followers commenting on the interaction, some sharing their own experiences.

'I love this, great job Santa and for this little peanut!! Teach your children that they own their bodies,” said one user.

'My five-year-old daughter refused to sit on Santa's lap last week. He said don't worry there's always a way so she stood next to him for the photo,” another added.

“What a nice guy,” said another. 'Older generations often don't understand, and it's great that your daughter is confident enough to express her boundaries.'

“I love this,” another agreed. “Sitting on Santa's lap was one of my biggest traumas as a child.”

Although some people thought Santa went too far.

“The little girl is standing there saying, 'Can we leave now and not video this?'” one user commented.

“I'm not sure if this is really about touching or if she's just afraid of Santa in general, like my kids are.”

“Why are people trying to wake this up?” one TikTok user complained.

Katie has since opened up about it Today that she and her husband, Aaron Martin, are teaching their daughter never to accept a hug or kiss from anyone, including her parents.

“Adley knows it's always her choice and she can give a high-five instead,” the mother, who is pregnant with her second child, explained.

She added that she and her husband weren't given the opportunity to stand up for themselves growing up — and wanted to make sure their daughter didn't have the same experience.

“We don't pressure her to have any kind of unwanted touching,” Katie said.

“Growing up, we were told, 'Be polite. “Sit on your weird uncle's lap,' and I don't want that for my daughter,” she added.

Santa Claus, Steve Lantz, told the publication that he was pleased with people's reactions to the video.

“My wife and I have a six-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son, and we started teaching them at a very young age that they have control over their bodies,” the part-time Santa and Presbyterian minister said.

“There are times when I ask my daughter, 'Do you want a hug?' And if she says 'No', I respect that. I don't push. “I never ask twice,” he said.