The research, published in the Journal of Moral Education, suggested parents routinely lie to children but warned this could weaken trust between children and adults.
Professor Gail Heyman, of the University of California, questioned 130 young people and their parents about parental lying. "She was surprised to find more than 80 per cent lied at some point, even those who insisted that it was never okay to lie," the article claims. "There was a danger," she said, "that children could receive mixed messages at a time when they were learning how to function in the social world".
The article included a list of common white lies, such as: "the dog went to live on your uncle's farm" and "that was beautiful piano playing". So could this spell the end for Father Christmas?
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