New YouGov polling for the NSPCC shows a growing belief among young adults that using force against a child is unacceptable. Among those aged 18 to 24, 82% say physical punishment by a parent is unacceptable, up from 64% in 2023. The survey questioned 3,800 adults across England in July, including 749 parents of a child under 18 and 198 aged 18 to 24. Across all respondents, 71% judged physical punishment as unacceptable, up from 67% last year. Wales banned all corporal punishment in March 2022 and Scotland followed in November 2020, but England and Northern Ireland have not enacted a blanket ban. The Children Act 2004 states that hitting a child is unlawful except where it is deemed “reasonable punishment”, a defence tested in individual cases.

Campaigners say the findings reflect public attitudes that should be reflected in law. Health professionals earlier this year urged Parliament to recognise children’s right to safety by backing a comprehensive ban on smacking. Barnardo’s chief executive Lynn Perry said violence against children is unacceptable and that children in the UK have less legal protection than adults. She added that the data shows most parents agree, and called for a change to give all children protection from physical punishment nationwide. Experts from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said physical punishment is outdated and harmful and urged the Government to remove the “reasonable punishment” defence as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. A Department for Education spokesperson said the government is reviewing changes made in Wales and Scotland but has no plans to legislate at this stage.

The polling sits alongside renewed calls from a group of four UK children’s commissioners for a wholesale ban on smacking following the 2023 murder of Sara Sharif in Woking. The case prompted discussions about the current defence being outdated. Barnardo’s chief executive, Lynn Perry, said violence against children has no place in modern society and that legislation should provide equal protection from assault. Professor Andrew Rowland of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said physical punishment has no place in modern parenting and urged the Government to remove the defence. A Department for Education spokesperson noted that Wales and Scotland have changed their laws, but there are no current plans to legislate in England.