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Smacking children linked to lower GCSE results and riskier behaviour, major UK study finds

Smacking children linked to lower GCSE results and riskier behaviour, major UK study finds

Researchers say physical punishment offers no benefits and may be linked to poorer outcomes for children.

Ruairidh Pritchard

Published: June 12, 2026 at 10:00 AM

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Research involving thousands of UK children has found that smacking may be linked to lower GCSE grades and a greater likelihood of risky behaviour during the teenage years.

The study, led by researchers at University College London (UCL), analysed data from children born between 2000 and 2002 and has reignited debate around whether smacking should be banned in England and Northern Ireland, as it already is in Scotland and Wales.

Researchers say the findings add to growing evidence that physical punishment does not improve children's behaviour and may be associated with negative outcomes later in life.

What did the study find?

UCL researchers examined information from around 19,000 children at ages three, five and seven, looking at the impact of physical punishment during early childhood.

They then linked data from 7,559 pupils in England to the National Pupil Database to compare GCSE performance.

The researchers found that children who had been smacked were more likely to miss out on achieving five GCSE passes, including English and maths. According to the study, the likelihood of failing to achieve these grades increased by 5.7 percentage points among children who had experienced physical punishment.

The research also found that children who had been physically punished were 33% more likely to engage in risky behaviours by age 14, including bullying.

Researchers say smacking 'does no good whatsoever'

Lead researcher Associate Professor Anja Heilmann said the findings showed no evidence that smacking benefits children.

Speaking about the research, she said: "My hope is that smacking stops in the UK so children have the same protection from physical assault that adults have."

After outlining the study's conclusions, Heilmann added that smacking "does not help children and all the effects that we did find were in the direction of a harmful outcome".

My hope is that smacking stops in the UK so children have the same protection from physical assault that adults have.

Associate Professor Anja Heilmann, University College London

Can the study prove smacking causes these outcomes?

Not exactly.

The study was observational, meaning researchers analysed questionnaire responses from families over time rather than conducting an experiment.

That means the findings show an association between physical punishment and later outcomes, but they cannot prove that smacking directly caused lower grades or behavioural issues. Other factors in a child's life may also have played a role.

Professor Ellie Lee, a family and parenting researcher at the University of Kent, said the results sounded "plausible" but noted that child development is influenced by many different factors.

She said there can be "a rush to try and find silver bullets and single causes, when most things that happen as part of child development are relatively multifactorial".

Is smacking legal in the UK?

The law varies depending on where families live.

Scotland became the first part of the UK to ban physical punishment of children in 2020, followed by Wales in 2022.

In England and Northern Ireland, smacking remains legal under certain circumstances.

The latest research has prompted fresh calls from campaigners and some childcare professionals for England and Northern Ireland to follow the same approach as Scotland and Wales.

Amy Woods, owner of Baby College in Salford, told the BBC she supports a ban.

"Children need warmth, they need responsive relationships and they need play to thrive, definitely not violence at a young age," she said.

What are parents saying?

Some parents interviewed by the BBC said they were surprised that smacking is still legal in parts of the UK.

Sarah, mum to 10-month-old Joshua, said: "I don't think it's a very good example to be setting to kids."

She added: "If they do something wrong, like hit someone, and you smack them back it doesn't really reinforce the message of 'this isn't ok'."

Meanwhile, the Department for Education said it currently has no plans to change the law in England, while maintaining that children's safety and wellbeing remains a priority.

The UCL researchers also found that around one in five 10-year-olds had experienced some form of physical punishment when monitored in 2021, and that mothers with higher levels of education were less likely to use physical punishment.

As discussions around parenting approaches continue, the researchers say their findings contribute to a growing body of evidence suggesting that physical punishment may carry long-term risks without delivering clear benefits.

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Authors

Ruairidh PritchardDigital Growth Lead

Ruairidh is the Digital Lead on MadeForMums. He works with a team of fantastically talented content creators and subject-matter experts on MadeForMums.