Most young South Africans think it’s acceptable to smack one’s children

In a recent national survey, the majority of young South Africans said they feel it is acceptable for parents to discipline their children by smacking them.

The study carried out by Pondering Panda questioned 3,078 people between the ages of 13 and 34, across South Africa, earlier this month.

According to the findings, 11% of respondents believed it was acceptable for parents to smack their children at any time, 63% believed it was sometimes acceptable and 25% believed corporal punishment was never acceptable.

The survey was aimed at finding out people’s opinions on how to discipline children following the Department of Social Development’s proposal to make it a criminal offence for parents to smack their children.

Although the results showed most people supported the concept of smacking children as a form of punishment, younger respondents were less likely to agree that it was sometimes or always justified. Pondering Panda spokesperson Shirley Wakefield said, “At least 65% of those aged between 13 and 14 held this opinion, compared to 79% of those aged between 25 and 34.”

When the statistics were analysed with regards to race groups they indicated that 85% of white youth believed physical discipline was acceptable in comparison to 75% of blacks, and 55% of coloureds. The survey found no difference of opinion according to gender.

The findings revealed that young people were mainly against criminalising parents for smacking their children. More than three in five (61%) were against the proposed law, while 31% were in favour of making smacking children a criminal offence.

The survey also questioned whether the government should get involved in people’s family problems and almost half the respondents (49%) said it depended on the problem. Results showed 15% were in favour of the government being involved in family life, while 35% were completely against it.

Wakefield commented, “What this survey also shows is that young people are not against government intervention in family affairs completely, but conditionally support government intervention on certain issues.”

The interviews were conducted on cellphones across South Africa, excluding deep rural areas and the responses were found to be nationally representative of age, race and gender.

The physical punishment of children is only illegal in 33 countries and Britain has no explicit ban on parents smacking their children, however under current law it is illegal to inflict injuries which cause more than a temporary reddening of the skin. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling defended parents’ right to smack their children earlier this year by saying, “You chastise children when they are bad, as my parents did me.” He received a flood of criticism from children’s charities, in particular the NSPCC, as smacking is generally frowned upon in the UK.

Do you think it is always, sometimes or never acceptable to smack you child? Leave your comment below!