Smacking children was outlawed in Scotland this week. Remarkably, parents in the rest of the UK can still use physical violence to punish or discipline their children, provided it can be considered “reasonable punishment”, a term not properly defined in law. Smacking is allowed in the majority of other nations.

Around the world, smacking is common. A 2014 report by UNICEF found that 80 per cent of the world’s children are subject to some form of violent punishment at home. A survey of just over 4000 adults in the UK, conducted this July, found that the majority – 59 per cent – felt that “smacking should not be banned”. Only a fifth of those asked thought the practice should be outlawed. Another survey of US-based adults found that 76 per cent of men and 65 per cent of women feel that sometimes children need a “good hard spanking”.

For those with any shred of doubt, there is no good evidence that smacking will benefit a child. Parents might find that children are more obedient if they fear another smack, but this effect is only temporary. In the long run, children who are smacked are more likely to misbehave, and to engage in delinquent, criminal or antisocial behaviour. Worse, they are more likely to develop mental illnesses.

[For more on this story by Jessica Hamzelou, go to https://www.newscientist.com/a...hould-everyone-else/]