Demands for a smacking ban in England are growing as a poll revealed eight in ten adults think the punishment is 'unacceptable'.
Parents are still allowed to use 'reasonable punishment' against their children despite the practice being outlawed in Scotland and Wales.
In both nations, any type of corporal punishment, including smacking, hitting, slapping and shaking, has been illegal for at least three years.
Polling for children's charity NSPCC, carried out by YouGov, surveyed 3,800 adults across England – of whom 749 were parents with a child under 18 and 198 were aged 18 to 24.
It found 82 per cent of adults aged between 18 and 24 believe it is unacceptable for a parent to use force, however slight, against a child – up from 64 per cent in 2023.
