Most parents believe physical punishment of children crosses the line

Our new survey has revealed the overwhelming majority of parents in England believe physical punishment of children crosses the line.

The YouGov polling showed four in five parents with a child under 18 years old (81%) believe it’s unacceptable for a parent to use force, however slight, against a child.

Young adults aged 18-24 (82%) questioned were also in agreement that it is unacceptable, highlighting a significant shift in attitudes amongst young people when compared to 2023 where 64% thought it was unacceptable.³

Overall, almost three-quarters (71%) of 3,500 adults polled in England said they believe using physical punishment to discipline a child is unacceptable, showing that the current legislation continues to be out of step with public attitudes.

Parents and young adults also expressed concern about the impact of physical punishment. Over two thirds of parents (73%) and young adults (85%) said they believe physical punishment negatively affects a child’s mental health.

There was strong support (59%) from parents calling to change the law to end the use of physical punishment.

As it stands, the current defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ allows parents to argue in court that it was reasonable to use force against their child. 

There’s a wealth of evidence from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and University College London (UCL) showing that physical punishment has a detrimental impact on a child and doesn’t improve their behaviour.

Meanwhile, safeguarding professionals have also previously expressed that they would support removing the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’.

Whilst over 60 countries around the world, including Wales and Scotland, have put vital measures in place to protect children from harm, the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ means children in England are not fully protected in law from physical assault.

We’re calling on the Government to act now to prevent falling further behind other countries and ensure out of date legislation which puts children at risk is updated.

We're urging parliamentarians in Westminster to amend the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, change the law by removing the ‘reasonable punishment’ defence clause, and give children equal protection from harm once and for all.