AITA for lying to my friend about his ex-girlfriend. r/TwoHotTakes

I read this story on Reddit about a 16-year-old who found himself in a tricky situation after his friend’s parents forced him to break up with his girlfriend. The friend’s parents not only made him end the relationship but also confiscated his phone and deleted all his social media accounts to ensure he couldn’t contact her. Before his phone was taken, he asked the Reddit poster (OP) to let his girlfriend know that he didn’t mean the breakup and that it was all his parents’ doing.

However, OP wasn’t able to convey this message right away due to personal issues. During this delay, OP learned that the ex-girlfriend had already started talking to another friend and was in the early stages of a potential new relationship. Feeling guilty, OP finally reached out to the ex-girlfriend and explained what had happened. Her reaction wasn’t very encouraging—she seemed annoyed, sighed heavily, and even called her ex-boyfriend a “stupid fool.”

When the original friend managed to secretly create a new social media account, he immediately reached out to OP, asking how his ex-girlfriend had reacted to the explanation. OP decided to lie and told him that she didn’t want to get back together and thought it was better to move on given the situation with his parents. OP justified the lie, believing it would give the friend closure, especially since the ex-girlfriend had already begun moving on and had caused significant harm to the friend’s mental health in the past.

Later that same day, the friend had to delete his secret account because his parents found his hidden phone.

YTA twice over. First, you didn’t contact the girl in a timely fashion. If you couldn’t do it, you should’ve told him “no” when he asked you. Secondly, you lied to him. It is wrong to lie to your friends about important things like this.

I didn’t have time to tell him no, it was a 30-second call, and I thought I could do it at the end of the week.

While OP thought they were acting in their friend’s best interest, the decision to lie has sparked debate. Some believe the lie was a betrayal, while others argue it might have been kinder in the long run, considering the circumstances and the potential emotional fallout for the friend.