Belief in Santa could affect parent-child relationships, warns study

CAUTION: this article contains sensitive information concerning the existence of Santa Claus

Spoiler alert: this article contains sensitive information about the existence of Santa Claus. Children may wish to look away now.

Parents, though, are being urged to re-consider the ethics of the great Santa Claus lie. In an article published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry, two psychologists have raised the spectre of children's moral compass being permanently thrown off-kilter by what is normally considered a magical part of the Christmas tradition.