Strict parents are more likely turn their children into 'very skilled and effective liars' academics claimed yesterday.

Psychotherapist Philippa Perry said that parents who are too strict create an atmosphere 'whereby the child does not feel safe telling the truth'.

Controversially she said all lies are co-created and by not allowing a situation where children can tell the truth, parents can only blame themselves if they find out they have been deceived.

Psychotherapist Philippa Perry said parents who are too strict create an atmosphere 'whereby the child does not feel safe telling the truth' (file photo)

Her comments are supported by research from Canadian psychologist Victoria Talwar who developed an experiment to measure children's lies.

Dr Talwar chose two schools in West Africa , one with relaxed rules and one very punitive school, to take part in her so-called 'Peeping Game'.

The test asks children to guess what object is making a certain noise without looking. The last object, say a toy football, makes a sound that bears no resemblance to it.

The adult then leaves the room and when they come back they ask the child what the object is and if they peeked.

Dr Talwar found that in the more relaxed school some of the children lied and some told the truth, roughly on a par with results she had seen in Western schools.

While in the very strict school the children were extremely quick to lie and did it 'very effectively'.

Mrs Perry, wife of artist and cross-dresser Grayson Perry, discusses the experiment in a Radio 4 programme entitled Children Who Lie that will air on Tuesday.

Speaking about Mrs Talwar's research Ian Leslie, author of Born Liars – Why We Can't Live Without Lying, said: 'The children from the very punitive school were very quick to lie and they all lied really, really well.

'So actually by cracking down really hard on lying the school had become a machine for turning out very skilled and effective little liars.'

Mrs Perry comments are supported by research from Canadian psychologist Victoria Talwar who developed an experiment to measure children's lies

Speaking to the Daily Mail about the programme Mrs Perry said: 'I found it interesting that there was all this research saying that if you take a draconian attitude towards lying you just makes people better at it.

'If a child lies to get out of trouble then that lie is not all down to the child it's a co-created situation.

'The atmosphere has been produced whereby the child does not feel safe telling the truth.

'So you can't condemn the child for lying.'

She added: 'We do our kids no favours at all when we persecute them for lying. We can be curious about the lie we can be interested in it and look at our part in it. But being draconian and rigid about it is not going to make a situation better.'

The programme also discusses the negative impact of lying to children about Father Christmas.

Sam Harris, an American psychologist, also spoke of the repercussions of children who are the last to find out the Santa lie.

He says: 'How grateful is that child to have his first lesson in epistemology given to him by a group of six-year-olds?'

Mrs Perry added: 'Sometimes we get a bit simplistic around Father Christmas and instead of just giving them the myth to enjoy and the ritual to enjoy we sell it as a lie and actually for who's benefit is this?