What science tells us about smacking children

A new measure is proposed, which will see a child's age to give consent for marriage reduced to 16 years old, a change is due to be made that will make the law consistent across the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom.

Many individuals object to physically punishing children, seeing it as completely unacceptable. However, some argue that physical punishment can have a part to play in a child's upbringing in specific situations.

Regardless of your viewpoint, there is a considerable amount of scientific evidence that suggests physical punishment is not only unsuccessful in managing behaviour, but can actually increase undesirable behaviour in children and may have lasting detrimental effects on their emotional and psychological well-being.

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“Physical punishment, or smacking, is a common form of discipline, intended to convey that certain behaviour is unacceptable. However, when we use this method, the message we're actually sending is that we want to instill fear in them, rather than encouraging them to understand why their actions were wrong. As a result, the child may stop the behaviour, but only out of fear of retribution, not a genuine understanding of what was wrong.”

Research indicates that smacking has no lasting positive effect on a child's behaviour in the short or long term. In fact, it may sometimes have a contrary effect, with some children becoming worse-behaved due to being smacked, even if it is attempted to parent in an unpleasant manner, as they may persuade children they are requiring more attention from their parents.

A study published in The Lancet examined 69 scientific papers and drew definitive conclusions regarding physical punishment.

Initially, the research indicates that physical punishment exacerbates the situation, with experts ultimately concluding that such discipline leads to a rise in problematic behaviour over time, partly due to it causing the child to become more aggressive.

Additionally, there is no evidence suggesting that physical punishment benefits a child's development, with some studies indicating that it has adverse effects, while others found no correlation.

"The uniformity of these research findings shows that physical punishment is detrimental to children and proves that policy solutions are required. The evidence is also linked to a rise in negative effects on children," Dr Anja Heilmann, from University College London, notes.

"There is substantial evidence that physical punishment has an adverse effect on children's development and wellbeing and, not surprisingly, no evidence whatsoever that it has a positive effect," she cautioned.

Sher said the outcomes were a mixed bag, with some studies finding drawbacks and others finding no significant links. It was unclear if there were any benefits, such as improved attention, cognitive functions, social relationships, or stress resilience, across these studies.

That study was a more comprehensive one, encompassing not only smacking, but also slapping and spanking. However, it ruled out more severe forms of physical punishment, namely, hitting a child with an object, slapping them in the face, or physically attacking them by throwing an object or beating them.

The term 'spanking' is commonly utilised in America to indicate the act of hitting someone with an open hand – usually on their backside.

Research published in the Child Development journal discovered that spanking can be traumatic, leading to alterations in a child's brain function.

"We are aware that physical punishment, or spanking, does not have a positive effect and has the potential to cause harm to a child's growth and development, leading to a higher risk of mental health problems. Our research shows that it can also affect the development of the brain, lead to changes in biology, and result in lasting consequences," said Jorge Cuartas, who conducted the research at Harvard and is now based at New York University.

Research discovered that hitting a child undermines their capacity to manage their emotions effectively in high-pressure situations in a manner remarkably akin to severe neglect.

Researchers used MRI scans to investigate how children's brains reacted to images of facial expressions conveying emotions. They showed children pictures of people frowning and smiling. Their study discovered that those who had been physically punished responded more strongly in areas of the brain associated with processing emotional reactions and detecting potential threats - even when looking at expressions that most people would view as harmless.

A study conducted by the University of São Paulo in Brazil, published in the journal Trauma Violence Abuse in December, showed that mothers who physically punish their children are associated with a heightened risk of anxiety, social isolation, aggression, and bullying behaviour in those children.

The study's findings revealed that in fully ninety-four per cent of the research looked at, a clear connection existed between mothers giving physical punishment and disciplinary action being meted out to children with related problems of a behavioural or developmental nature, either at the time or later.

Dr Aznar claims the comprehensive evidence confirming the negative impact of smacking requires it to be completely prohibited, with parents turning to alternative methods for disciplining children.

Among his suggestions are 'time out' – taking a child away from a situation that isn't suitable for them – talking through the issue with them, or taking away a privilege, such as confiscating their games console for the weekend, Dr Aznar advises.

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