This UK study on more than 10,000 children found no evidence that physical punishment benefits children’s behaviour, learning, or wellbeing. Instead, children who experienced physical punishment were more likely to have behavioural and emotional difficulties, lower literacy scores, poorer GCSE results, and higher levels of risky or antisocial behaviour during adolescence. More than one in five 10-year-olds in the UK had experienced physical punishment in 2020/21, despite a long-term decline. The findings add to growing international evidence that physical punishment can have lasting negative effects and support calls for stronger protections, and greater support for parents of children and young people.
Anja Heilmann et al | UCL, 2026