In 1998, 76 children aged 5 - 7 in England talked to two researchers about what they thought about smackingThis is a word that is used in the UK to describe adults hitting children, especially young children, to punish them.. The researchers explained to the children that Splodge, an alien from another planet, wanted to find out about smacking. Because children are the experts on smacking, Splodge wanted to ask them some questions. Children talked about Splodge's questions in small groups.

The children had ten main messages about smacking:

1. Smacking is hitting. Most of the 76 children who took part in this study described a smack as a hard or very hard hit.
2. Smacking hurts.
3. Smacking is wrong. The vast majority of the children who took part disapproved of smacking.
4. Children react badly to being smacked. They get upset and angry and sometimes they want to smack someone else.
5. Adults regret smacking.
6. Parents and other grown-ups are the people who most often smack children.
7. Children usually get smacked indoors, and they most often get smacked on their bottom, arm or head.
8. Children do not smack adults because they are scared they will be hit again.
9. Adults do not smack each other because they are big and know better, and because they love and care about each other.
10. Half the children involved in this study said they would not smack children when they are adults. The youngest children (five-year-olds) were the most emphatic about this.

Download a short report about this research study (Opens .pdf file).

Find out more about other UK research on children's opinions on corporal punishment.

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