Yeah, I think this is wrong, too. I'm shocked that so many people here seem to like this idea. It's wrong to lie to people, even for their own good, and even if they're just teenagers, and therefore not real people. Think of all the other situations this could be (mis-) used in. Imagine a police officer came to your door and told you your husband, wife, or child had been killed in a drunk-driving accident. An hour or so later he comes back and says "Not really! Don't drink and drive!". Or your Doctor telling you you have terminal cancer. And hour later, he calls you at home and says "Not really! I just wanted to encourage you to get screened more often!"
Also, this is inherently self-limiting. As it gets more popular, the chances that the kids in the class will have heard of it, and not be fooled.
Imagine the kids being told that a classmate had died in a drunk driving incident, and them not believing it because of this.
Have any actual psychologists signed off on this?
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