Reports of children facing physical punishment have surged more than threefold within a year, as per the NSPCC. The charity’s helpline has been inundated with cases of children being slapped, hit, and shaken as forms of discipline. The NSPCC is calling on the new government to abolish the legal defence of “reasonable chastisement” in England.
The number of reports mentioning physical punishment rose from 447 in the year ending March 2023 to 1,451 in the year ending March 2024. Wales outlawed all forms of physical punishment, including smacking, in 2022, and Scotland enacted a similar law two years earlier. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health advocates for a UK-wide smacking ban, citing legal ambiguities.
More than half of the NSPCC’s reports about physical punishment came from concerned public members observing parental behaviour. Only one in ten reports originated from children. The charity noted that 45% of the 1,451 reports were severe enough to warrant referral to social services or the police.
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In 2022, Sir Keir Starmer urged other UK nations to emulate Wales’s ban, stating that it provides children with the protection adults already enjoy. Studies link physical punishment to depression, anxiety, increased aggression, and antisocial behaviour, as highlighted by the NSPCC.
The charity attributes the rise in reports to several factors, including renewed campaigning for a smacking ban, enhanced helpline capacity, and public confusion over acceptable disciplinary measures for children.
Sir Peter Wanless, the NSPCC’s chief executive, described the increase in reports as “hugely concerning.” He emphasised that evidence shows physical discipline can be harmful and ineffective. He called for political leaders to enact a long-overdue change in the law to ban physical punishment of children.
Opponents of a law change argue that the current system already prohibits violence against children while safeguarding parents from prosecution for “innocent and harmless parenting decisions.”
What Other Media Are Saying
- Physical punishment and child outcomes: a narrative review This narrative review summarizes the findings of 69 prospective longitudinal studies, highlighting the negative associations between physical punishment and child outcomes, including externalizing, internalizing behaviors, and cognitive abilities.(read more)
- NSPCC highlights the alarming rates of online grooming and sexual exploitation, with 1 in 5 children experiencing unwanted sexual behavior online, emphasizing the need for greater awareness and protection.(read more)
- UCL News reports that one in five 10-year-olds in the UK experienced physical punishment in 2020 and 2021, highlighting the ongoing issue despite declines over the past decade.(read more)
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions asked about this news
Why have concerns about children being physically punished increased?
Concerns have tripled due to renewed campaigning, more helpline capacity, and public confusion about acceptable punishment.
What is the NSPCC urging the government to do?
The NSPCC is urging the government to close the legal defence of ‘reasonable chastisement’ in England.
Which UK nations have banned physical punishment of children?
Wales banned it in 2022 and Scotland introduced a similar law in 2020.
What percentage of NSPCC contacts were referred to social services or the police?
45% of the contacts were serious enough to refer to social services or the police.
What are the potential effects of physical punishment on children?
Studies link physical punishment to depression, anxiety, increased aggression, and antisocial behaviour.