Government urged to enforce a total ban on smacking of children
It comes as belief among young adults that forceful actions against children has grown stronger in recent years, according to a new poll.
Wales made any type of corporal punishment, including smacking, hitting, slapping and shaking, illegal in March 2022, while Scotland introduced a similar ban in November 2020.
But it is not completely outlawed in England and Northern Ireland.
According to the Children Act 2004, it is unlawful to hit your child, except where it is 'reasonable punishment', and this is judged on a case-by-case basis.
New polling for the NSPCC, carried out by YouGov, suggests around eight in 10 people (82 per cent) aged between 18 and 24 believe it is unacceptable for a parent to use force, however slight, against a child.
This is an increase from 64 per cent of young adults who thought it was unacceptable when polled in 2023.
Among parents specifically, the figures have remained high in recent years, with the latest polling showing 81 per cent felt this way, up slightly from 80 per cent last year and from 76 per cent in 2022.
YouGov surveyed 3,800 adults across England in July, of which 749 were parents with a child under 18 and 198 were aged 18 to 24 years old.
Of all adults surveyed, 71 per cent said they believe physical punishment against a child is unacceptable, up from 67 per cent in 2023.
Earlier this year leading health experts came together to urge parliamentarians to give children the 'fundamental right to safety and protection' by backing a smacking ban.
The children's doctors and psychiatrists said decades of research showed the 'detrimental effects of physical punishment'.
On the latest figures, NSPCC chief executive Chris Sherwood said: 'Parents and young people are telling us loud and clear that they don't want physical punishment to be a part of anyone's childhood.
'Parents know their children and what works best for them. It is therefore crucial their experiences and opinions are not ignored or undermined, but act as a wake-up call.
'As parliamentarians continue to debate the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we urge them to change the law to better reflect public attitudes to violence against children and ensure no childhood has to be tainted by physical punishment again.'
In June, as part of debate on the Bill, Conservative peer Lord Jackson of Peterborough warned that introducing a smacking ban in England would be 'disproportionate and heavy-handed'.
He argued 'reasonable chastisement' was harmless and calls to abolish it as a defence for punishing a child risked 'criminalising good and caring parents, as well as overloading children's services departments'.
But, in the wake of the murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif in Woking in 2023, the UK's four children's commissioners jointly called for a wholesale smacking ban, describing the current situation where there is a legal defence in some nations as 'outdated and morally repugnant'.
Sara's father – jailed for life in December 2024 alongside her stepmother for the little girl's murder – had claimed in a call to police after fleeing England that he 'did legally punish' his daughter and that he 'beat her up too much'.
The children's commissioners insisted 'loving, well-meaning' parents have no need to be concerned about a change in the law.
Lynn Perry, chief executive of Barnardo's, said: 'Violence against children is unacceptable – and yet children continue to have less legal protection against physical assault than adults. That cannot be right. This new data shows that most parents agree.
'Physical punishment like smacking is harmful to a child's health and development, and there's strong evidence that it influences their attitudes toward violence. At Barnardo's, we see first-hand how vital it is for children to feel safe and nurtured by those around them and to develop positive, healthy relationships.
'We have long campaigned for a change in the law to give children equal protection from assault and continue to call for action. It's time for all children to be legally protected from all physical punishment everywhere in the UK.'
Commenting on the poll, Professor Andrew Rowland, officer for child protection at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: 'This latest research makes it clear that physical punishment has no place in modern parenting.
'Health professionals stand firmly with parents and young people in recognising that physical punishment is not only outdated and unjust, but also harmful to children's health and wellbeing.
'We urge the government to listen to parents, young people, health professionals and the wider public and to finally remove the outdated and unfair 'reasonable punishment' defence.'
A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'The landmark Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, a key part of our plan for change, represents the most transformative piece of child protection legislation in a generation, including wholesale reform of the children's social care system and better information sharing between education, health, and social workers to stop vulnerable children falling through the cracks.
'While we are looking closely at the legal changes made in Wales and Scotland in relation to smacking, we have no plans to legislate at this stage.'
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No Flash rate (timed): not applicableLifetime number of flashes: not applicablePower levels: sixNumber of attachment heads: no additional attachments Best for: comfort Swedish beauty brand Foreo's cute candy-coloured device is a user-friendly product for anyone nervous about trying IPL. The compact unit has a colourful silicone casing, which is easy to grip and feels soft as it glides over the skin. The large treatment window and fast flash rate of two flashes a second mean you can cover large areas quickly and won't have to spend long on each treatment. There's a downloadable app that guides you through the treatment steps, which is handy if you're new to IPL – although the device can be used without. It didn't make the final cut because … while I definitely saw a reduction in regrowth after three sessions, there wasn't as much as with other devices: Foreo recommends 12 weeks' use for best results. The app is useful (and free) but pushes you to spend more on subscription plans and upgrades. Suitable for dark skin/light hair? No; flash rate (timed): two flashes a second; lifetime number of flashes: 500,000; power settings: five; number of attachment heads: no additional attachments Best for: an all-rounder The Braun Silk Expert Pro 5 IPL is a powerful all-in-one device. The big draw here is Braun's SensoAdapt technology, which continuously adjusts the light intensity to skin tone so that it's always using the most effective level for fast results. You can also manually select from three power levels, and there are two attachment heads: standard for body, and precision for face and intimate areas. Results after three sessions were very good, and Braun promises up to 95% reduction in hair growth with weekly use in the first four to 12 weeks. It didn't make the final cut because … I slightly preferred the Lumea 9900 for ease of use, although this is a sleek and powerful device. The Silk Expert Pro 5 is less effective on light hair or dark skin – so you might also prefer the Silk'n 7 at this price point. Suitable for dark skin/light hair? No; flash rate (timed): two flashes per second; lifetime number of flashes: 400,000; power settings: three; number of attachment heads: two IPL stands for intense pulsed light – a system that uses pulses of light to heat up the hair follicles and cause the hair to go into its telogen or 'resting' phase. This makes the hair shed (or fall out) and grow back more slowly and finer. Laser treatment used in salons also heats up the hair follicles to reduce regrowth, but the light used in IPL treatments is broad-spectrum and safe for use at home. Although IPL isn't a permanent hair removal treatment, it will significantly reduce hair growth over time. IPL can also be used as a skin treatment to reduce hyperpigmentation, broken veins and acne rosacea. 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Always check the manufacturer's guidelines to ensure your skin and hair type are compatible. IPL is also not suitable for male facial hair due to the thickness of beard hair. Avoid using IPL on sore or broken skin or very sensitive areas. If your device is designed for facial hair, follow the instructions carefully and use any special facial attachments included. Never use a body-only device on the face. The main drawback is the upfront cost – IPL devices cost more than you're probably used to spending on hair removal. However, if you tot up the cost of a monthly salon wax (or even at-home waxing and depilation), you'll probably find that an IPL device costs the same or less after about a year or so. IPL devices are also less painful than waxing or epilation, cleaner than creams, and reduce ingrown hairs and irritation compared with shaving. Below each product in this roundup, we've detailed the number of flashes each device is expected to produce over its working lifetime, ranging from 300,000 to 600,000 flashes. What that means in practice will depend on the size of the area you want to treat and how often you treat it. You can expect to use about 100-120 flashes each time you treat a half leg (ankle to knee), with most devices recommending a monthly maintenance treatment after the first eight to 12 weeks of use. If you're using your IPL on your arms and legs once a month, that means your device should last between 20 and 30 years – plenty of use for the price. If you want to upgrade your IPL device before it reaches the end of its natural life, you'll want to make sure you dispose of your current device sustainably. If your IPL device still works but you no longer need it, check whether the manufacturer offers a refurbishment or resale programme; you may even be able to trade in your old model for a newer device. Resale programmes are also great for buying if you're on a budget – manufacturer-refurbished IPLs come with the same statutory guarantees as new products, so they're safe to use and often significantly cheaper. If your IPL device no longer works, it can still be recycled under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. Some manufacturers and retailers accept devices for recycling at the point of sale, or you can check if your local recycling centre accepts WEEE items. If your local centre can't take WEEE for any reason, Recycle Your Electricals should be able to help. Lise Smith is a beauty and lifestyle journalist who loves getting her hands and hair on the latest in beauty technology. While she usually reviews straighteners, curling brushes and other devices that keep your hair looking fabulous, Lise also knows what to do with a gadget designed to get rid of it
Daily Mail
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Capital Breakfast host Chris Stark reveals his 'whole mindset has changed' as he issues heartfelt update on his testicular cancer battle
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