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Spanking is a form of corporal punishment involving the act of striking, with either the palm of the hand or an implement, the buttocks of a person to cause physical pain. The term spanking broadly encompasses the use of either the hand or implement, though the use of certain implements can also be characterized as other, more specific types of corporal punishment such as belting, caning, paddling, and slippering.
Some parents spank in response to undesired behavior. Adults more commonly spank boys than girls both at home and in school. Some countries have outlawed the spanking of children in every setting, including homes, schools, and Prison, while others permit it when done by a parent or Legal guardian.
Medical organizations discourage its use in favor of healthier discipline strategies. Some research has found correlations between spanking and increased aggression, mental health issues, and decreased obedience in children, however findings have been inconsistent, and correlational research suffers from confounding explanations. A 2024 analysis of previous studies found that spanking accounted for less than 1% of changes in child outcomes, concluding that harm caused by spanking had been overstated.
In British English, most dictionaries define "spanking" as being given only with the open hand.Oxford English Dictionary: "Spank: To slap or smack (a person, esp. a child) with the open hand." Collins English Dictionary: "Spank: To slap or smack with the open hand, esp. on the buttocks." In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, the word "smacking" is generally used in preference to "spanking" when describing striking with an open hand, rather than with an implement. Whereas a spanking is invariably administered to the bottom, a "smacking" is less specific and may refer to slapping the child's hands, arms, or legs as well as its bottom.Oxford English Dictionary: "Smack: To strike (a person, part of the body, etc.) with the open hand or with something having a flat surface; to slap. Also spec. to chastise (a child) in this manner and fig."
There are also many adverse physical, mental, and emotional effects correlated with spanking and other forms of corporal punishment, including various physical injury, increased anxiety, depression, and antisocial behavior. Adults who were spanked during their childhood are more likely to abuse their children and spouse.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) all recommend that no child should be spanked and instead favor the use of effective, healthy forms of discipline. Additionally, the AAP recommends that primary care providers (e.g., and family medicine ) begin to discuss parents' discipline methods no later than nine months of age and consider initiating such discussions by age 3–4 months. By eight months of age, 5% of parents report spanking and 5% report starting to spank by age three months. The AAP also recommends that pediatricians discuss effective discipline strategies and counsel parents about the ineffectiveness of spanking and the risks of harmful effects associated with the practice to minimize harm to children and guide parents.
Although parents and other advocates of spanking often claim that spanking is necessary to promote child discipline, studies have shown that parents tend to apply physical punishment inconsistently and tend to spank more often when they are angry or under stress. The use of corporal punishment by parents increases the likelihood that children will suffer physical abuse, and most documented cases of physical abuse in Canada and the United States begin as disciplinary spankings. If a child is frequently spanked, this form of corporal punishment tends to become less effective at modifying behavior over time (also known as extinction). In response to the decreased effectiveness of spanking, some parents increase the frequency or severity of spanking or use an object.
A 2024 scientific analysis of previous studies found that spanking accounted for less than 1% of changes in child outcomes, concluding that "blanket anti-spanking injunctions" were unsupported.
Terminology
In American English, dictionaries define spanking as being administered with either the open hand or an implement such as a paddle.American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: "Spank: To slap on the buttocks with a flat object or with the open hand, as for punishment." Thus, the standard form of corporal punishment in US schools (use of a paddle) is often referred to as a spanking. In North America, the word "spanking" has often been used as a synonym for an official paddling in school,E.g. "Corporal punishment — spanking or paddling the student — may be used as a discipline management technique .... The instrument to be used in administering corporal punishment shall be approved by the principal or designee". Texas Association of School Boards – Standard Code of Conduct wording. and sometimes even as a euphemism for the formal corporal punishment of adults in an institution.See e.g. Evidence of Colonel G. Headly Basher, Deputy Minister for Reform Institutions, Ontario, Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on Capital and Corporal Punishment and Lotteries, Canada, 1953–55.
Effect on children
The main reasons parents give for spanking their children are to make children more compliant and to promote better behavior, especially to put a stop to their children's apparent aggression behaviors. However, research has shown that spanking (or any other form of corporal punishment) is associated with the opposite effect. When adults physically punish children, the children tend to obey parents less with time and develop more aggressive behaviors, including toward other children. This increase in aggressive behavior appears to reflect the child's perception that hitting is the way to deal with anger and frustration.
Alternatives to spanking
[File:World, Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children.
stripes ]] Parents may spank less – or not at all – if they have learned effective discipline techniques, as many view spanking as a last resort for disciplining their children. There are many alternatives to spanking and other forms of corporal punishment:
Several medical, pediatric, or psychological societies have issued statements opposing all forms of corporal punishment in schools, citing such outcomes as poorer academic achievements, increases in antisocial behaviors, injuries to students, and an unwelcoming learning environment. They include the American Medical Association, "H-515.995 Corporal Punishment in Schools". American Medical Association. the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Society for Adolescent Medicine, the American Psychological Association, "Corporal Punishment". Council Policy Manual. American Psychological Association. 1975. the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Canadian Paediatric Society and the Australian Psychological Society, as well as the United States' National Association of School Psychologists and National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Within the early 20th century, American men spanking their wives and girlfriends was often seen as an acceptable form of discipline. It was a common trope in American films, from the earliest days up through the 1960s, and was often used to allude to romance between the man and woman.
In the early 21st century, adherents of a subculture known as Christian domestic discipline have, on a literalist interpretation of the Bible, justified spanking as a form of acceptable punishment of women by their husbands, even though there are no direct teachings or examples in the Bible of husbands spanking their wives. Critics describe such practices as a form of domestic abuse.
A few countries have a judicial corporal punishment for adults.
In Slovenia, there is a jocular tradition that anyone who succeeds in climbing to the top of Mount Triglav receives a spanking or birching.
In Poland, there is a tradition named Pasowanie, which is celebrated on the 18th birthday. The birthday person receives eighteen smacks with the belt from the guests at the birthday party. Dorota Zawadzka krytykuje zwyczaj bicia pasem na osiemnastce - Dziecko. (in Polish). 8 june 2021.
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