The unintended consequences of ‘silly lies’

Researchers from NTU say that lying to your children can turn them into liars later in life. In their study, the team enlisted the help of 564 children aged 11 to 12 years old, as well as one of their parents. The participants were surveyed about their use of two different types of lie – instrumental lies and white lies. The surveys revealed that children exposed instrumental lies were significantly more likely to lie to their parents. Meanwhile, white lies usually come from a good place but can also turn your child into a liar if they realise they have been lied to.  NTU Assoc Prof Setoh Pei Pei said: “The bad news for parents is that sometimes, honesty may be the best policy. White lies may be motivated by good intentions, but if children realise they have been lied to, this can also lead to lying from the child.”

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