It’s an age-old debate: is it acceptable to smack children as a form of punishment? According to a new survey published by The Children’s Society, only one in seven adults believe that slapping children is an unacceptable form of punishment.

2000 adults took part in the study and one third of them believed that smacking children was a low-risk punishment. Significantly, almost half of the older people in the study stated that parents could slap kids without worrying about causing them any harm or distress. It was also found that children being ridiculed by their parents, for example, being called ‘stupid’ presented a much higher risk of emotional trauma, with 60% of those surveyed agreeing.

The UK currently has no ban on parents slapping children as punishment, and The Children’s Society is calling for change. Bob Reitemeier, the chief executive of the organization told The Guardian, 'physical violence is something children definitely need to be protected from', following the ‘lack of concern’ over smacking children expressed by many of the interviewees.

Some argue that smacking children only teaches them that violence and physical aggression are acceptable behaviours and that there are ways to discipline your children without physically having to smack them.

Tell us what you think – is smacking an acceptable way to punish children?

Picture kindly from here