No, that seems like a weird way to punish a kid.
The first pediatrician I ever went to when my kids were first born gave me a great piece of advice that I've never forgotten: when you need to punish your child make absolutely positively sure you are not also punishing yourself at the same time. For example, if it's been raining for the last 4 days & today it's sunny, all anyone wants to do is get out of the house & go to the park. If Tommy acts up in the morning while you're getting him ready & your first response is, "We're not going to the park today at all if that's how you're going to act!" then you're stuck in the house as well on the first sunny day in a while.
I think your son & wife (or daughter & husband, whichever) were trying to find a punishment that had to do with what she SAID rather than the actual crime, which was nothing more than hurting their feelings when she was being reprimanded. In all honesty, it sounds like an immature punishment for them to have given her in the first place.