Aussie parents more than happy to smack kids into submission: study

Also,severe physical punishment is linked to child abuse and social,behavioural and emotional problems.

85 per cent of Australian parents admit smacking their kids,and only 8 per cent regret it,according to a new survey.

More than 4000 people voted in the poll,which asked parents whether they smacked their children.

Warren Cann,director of Australias comprehensive parenting website Raising Children Network said he was surprised the results of the poll werent higher,since he had expected more parents to be smackers.

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85 per cent is a little lower than what I would have expected,which may reflect this gradual change away from the use of corporal punishment, News.com.au quoted Cann as saying.

Smacking is almost universal in our society,but attitudes towards physical punishment are changing slowly, he added.

Parents told news.com.au they smacked because it works. Many described smacking as an effective circuit breaker.

However,Mr Cann said that parents should think twice about using physical punishment on their children.

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Smacking is not effective. It might seem to act as a circuit breaker,but the child will focus on the pain and the parent”s anger,rather than what it is the parent wants them to learn.

Also,severe physical punishment is linked to child abuse and social,behavioural and emotional problems,he said.