More than two-thirds of people in England believe it is wrong for parents to hit their children, a survey has found.
In a YouGov poll of nearly 3,000 adults commissioned by the NSPCC, 68% said they felt that physically disciplining a child, for example by smacking them, was unacceptable. The study came as Wales abolished "reasonable chastisement" as a defence for hitting children on Monday.
The poll revealed that people in England are largely in agreement with changing the law on the issue too, with 64% stating the law should be changed so that youngsters have the same legal protections against assault as adults. The survey revealed there was a lack of clarity about the law on physical punishment, with 58% thinking it was illegal to smack your child, while 20% knew it was still legal and 22% did not know either way.
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The NSPCC said that last year more than 500 counselling sessions had been delivered by Childline where children and young people reported being smacked or hit by parents and carers. Some children reported that the physical punishment had become more severe as they got older.
"When I was younger and I misbehaved, my mum gave me a warning and put me on the naughty step. Then when I got to around 5-12 years old, it was a tap or a little smack," a 16-year-old girl told Childline.
"But now it can be a proper smack or there was one occasion where she pulled my hair and I fell to the floor and she continuously hit me. I don't want to get mum in trouble, but I can't carry on being afraid of her," she said.
ChronicleLive also asked people if there should be an outright ban on smacking children in England. In our survey, 59% said yes, while 41% said no.
Meanwhile, University College London analysed 20 years of research on the topic alongside a team of international experts and concluded that any form of physical punishment was harmful to children and had no benefit. The research showed it did not improve children's behaviour and, in fact, increased behavioural difficulties, such as aggression and anti-social behaviour.
Children who are physically punished are also at increased risk of being subjected to more severe violence, the research found. The NSPCC is calling on the Government to follow Wales' lead so that it is illegal to use a defence of "reasonable punishment" for hitting a child.
Sir Peter Wanless, chief executive of the charity, said: "Today is a landmark moment for children in Wales. They are some of the most vulnerable members of our society and deserve more, not less, protection from violence than adults.
"The NSPCC has long campaigned to remove this outdated defence and we are pleased that children in Wales, Scotland and Jersey now have equal protection from assault. Public attitudes to physical punishment are changing and the law needs to follow suit. Westminster now needs to follow its neighbours and tackle this legal anomaly."
The Government says there are laws in England in the Children Act 2004, which make clear that it is unlawful to assault a child causing actual or grievous bodily harm, or cause child cruelty.
If a child has suffered, it is for the Child Protective Services (CPS) to decide what charges, if any, would be appropriate.
A Department for Education spokesperson told ChronicleLive: "The Government does not condone any violence towards children and has clear laws in place to prevent it.
"We are supporting teachers, social workers and all safeguarding professionals to spot the signs of abuse or neglect more quickly, and our statutory framework for safeguarding children in England makes clear what organisations should do to keep children safe."
