Calls Grow for a Complete Ban on Smacking as Public Opinion Shifts

Published: 21 August ‘2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

Campaigners and child welfare organisations are renewing calls for a total ban on smacking in England, citing growing public support and mounting evidence of the harm caused by physical punishment. Recent polling indicates that attitudes among young adults have shifted significantly in recent years, with an increasing majority considering any form of force against children unacceptable.

While Wales and Scotland have already outlawed all forms of corporal punishment—Wales in March 2022 and Scotland in November 2020—England and Northern Ireland continue to allow parents to use “reasonable punishment” as a legal defence. Under the Children Act 2004, hitting a child is unlawful except in cases deemed reasonable by the courts, leaving the law ambiguous and inconsistent with modern expectations of child protection.

A YouGov survey conducted for the NSPCC in July 2025, sampling 3,800 adults across England, revealed that 82 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds now believe it is unacceptable for parents to use even minor force against children, up from 64 per cent in 2023. Among parents, 81 per cent expressed opposition to physical punishment, a slight increase from 80 per cent the previous year. Across all adults surveyed, 71 per cent now consider smacking or similar actions inappropriate, rising from 67 per cent in 2023.

Leading child health experts have urged lawmakers to give children the “fundamental right to safety and protection” by backing a comprehensive smacking ban. Doctors and psychiatrists emphasise decades of research showing that physical punishment can have detrimental effects on children’s physical and mental health, as well as shaping attitudes toward violence later in life.

NSPCC chief executive Chris Sherwood stressed the importance of aligning the law with public sentiment, noting, “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. Their experiences and opinions must inform policy, especially as Parliament debates the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.”

Opposition to the ban remains among some policymakers. In June 2025, Conservative peer Lord Jackson of Peterborough argued that prohibiting smacking could be “disproportionate and heavy-handed,” warning that removing the “reasonable chastisement” defence risks criminalising well-meaning parents and overloading children’s services. However, such arguments have come under scrutiny following high-profile cases of child abuse, including the tragic murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif in Woking in 2023. Sara’s father and stepmother were convicted of her murder in December 2024, and he had claimed in a police call that he had “legally punished” his daughter. The case reignited calls from the UK’s four children’s commissioners for a complete legal ban on smacking, describing the current exceptions as “outdated and morally repugnant.”

Child protection organisations continue to advocate for stronger legislation. Lynn Perry, chief executive of Barnardo’s, highlighted the ongoing risks of physical punishment, stating, “Violence against children is unacceptable, yet children continue to have less legal protection than adults. Physical punishment harms children’s health, development, and attitudes toward violence. It is vital that all children are legally protected from assault across the UK.”

Professor Andrew Rowland of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health echoed these sentiments, warning that physical punishment has no place in modern parenting. He emphasised that the law should reflect the growing consensus among parents, young people, and health professionals, advocating for the removal of the “reasonable punishment” defence entirely.

A Department for Education spokesperson acknowledged the broader reforms proposed under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, describing it as a transformative step for child protection, including improved social care and cross-sector information sharing. However, they confirmed that the government currently has no plans to legislate specifically on smacking, despite observing legal changes in Wales and Scotland.

The renewed debate highlights a growing societal shift toward safeguarding children from physical punishment, balancing traditional parenting practices with modern standards of child protection. As public opinion continues to evolve, the question of whether England will follow its devolved counterparts remains central to ongoing discussions about the welfare and rights of children.