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RESEARCH AND CHILDREN:UK – Wales |
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Listen Up! Children talk about smacking
Save the Children carried out research into the views and experiences of 77 young children, aged 4-10 years, living in Wales. The full report (details below) includes children's accounts of what it feels like to be smacked and their ideas about how smacking might be prevented. This report includes the views of children that were consulted as part of the National Assembly of Wales contribution to the UK consultation on Protecting Children, Supporting Parents in 2000 and subsequently extended after the consultation.
Method
77 children (38 boys, 39 girls) participated in discussion groups in 3 after-school clubs and 3 primary schools. Using the cartoon character Splodge, children were asked: "who knows what a smack is?", "why do you think children get smacked?", "who usually smacks children?", "where do children usually get smacked?", "what does it feel like to be smacked?", "how do children act after being smacked?", "how do adults act after they have given a smack?", "adults smack children but why don't children smack adults?", "children smack each other but why don't adults smack each other?", "when you are big, do you think you will smack children?", "do you know anyone who doesn't like smacking?", "who thinks it's wrong to smack?", "how can we stop children being smacked?", "what can be done instead of smacking?" The children's responses were taped and written down.
What the children said
1. Who knows what a smack is?
Children said that a smack is a hit - often with some degree of force, and sometimes using some sort of implement such as a slipper. Children said that smacking hurts.
"It's when someone hits you really hard" (5 year old boy)
"It's a hit that hurts your bottom" (9 year old boy)
"Or they could hit you with something else like a slipper or a shoe" (7 year old girl)
2. Why do children usually get smacked?
Children said that adults smack children because they are naughty, for example not listening, being rude, running away, and lying, or because they are violent to other children.
"Because they're naughty, naughty, naughty" (9 year old girl)
"Cause they've done something wrong, that's why they get smacked 'cause they done something wrong" (7 year old girl)
"When someone runs away, and come back, then they get a smack bottom or a whip" (7 year old boy)
"If they don't do what they've been told first time" (8 year old girl)
3. Who usually smacks children?
All the children who answered this question mentioned parents and other relatives. Some children said male relatives were more likely to smack than mothers and grandmothers. Some also identified people who smack as "bad", "naughty" or "nasty" people generally, or bullies.
4. Where do children usually get smacked?
Children said smacking usually took place in the home. They felt embarrassed and humiliated if they were smacked in a public place, and they were clear that adults did not want to be seen hitting them.
"Somewhere were no-one can see - they know that it's bad" (9 year old girl)
"Maybe somewhere on their own. By the lake, by the shop, on their own by the railway station and they don't know and nobody's watching" (6 year old girl)
"At home I would rather - instead of getting showed up" (8 year old boy)
The most common place on the body for a smack was the child's bottom, though the leg, hand, face and other parts of the body were also mentioned.
5. What does it feel like to be smacked?
Children talked about the considerable physical hurt and emotional impact of being smacked. They did not view smacking as "trivial".
"It makes you feel sad" (8 year old girl)
"It hurts - where it hits" (8 year old boy)
"It feels like you've been stung like a bee" (6 year old girl)
"Feel ill" (6 year old boy)
"It gives you a big red mark and it stings a bit" (7 year old girl)
"It feels like you're going to cry 'cause it hurts you that much" (7 year old boy)
"Inside your body hurts" (6 year old girl)
"Upset" (7 year old boy)
"Angry" (7 year old boy)
6. How do children act after they have been smacked?
Children usually cry and become upset and go, or are sent, to spend time alone. Some thought a smack would make the child behave better, others thought it could worsen a child's behaviour.
"(Children) probably behave worse, because they'll go around doing it to other children in the playground" (9 year old boy)
"If you don't stop you'll have another smack" (5 year old boy)
"They start being good 'cause they don't want to get smacked again" (7 year old girl)
"Feel sad, then happy after saying sorry to Mam" (8 year old boy)
7. How do adults act after they have smacked children?
Children associated smacking with parents being angry. Some of the older children said that adults felt regret after they smacked a child.
"They get mad and look cross" (4 year old boy)
"They keep on swearing" (6 year old girl)
"They feel upset, bad" (8 year old girl)
"I think they don't want anyone to see. They know that it's bad but they still do it" (8 year old boy)
"Parents feel guilty" (6 year old girl)
8. Why don't children smack adults?
Children don't smack adults because they are scared and fear being smacked back. They understand that size and strength are important in who smacks who.
"Because grown ups are bigger and they slap you back even harder" (8 year old boy)
"They'll get a hiding" (6 year old girl)
"They'll be grounded for a week" (5 year old boy)
"If you smack them it won't be hard, but when they smack you it'll be even harder" (7 year old boy)
"Because adults are bigger and children are smaller" (6 year old girl)
9. Why don't adults smack each other?
The main responses were that adults know better than to smack each other. Children see adults as liking each other, as behaving well towards each other, and as not wanting to get involved in a "fight". They also felt it would be foolish or childish for adults to smack each other.
"Because they have manners" (5 year old girl)
"Because they don't want to hurt their friends" (9 year old boy)
"Because they would have to do it back and they don't want the other person to retaliate" (9 year old boy)
"Adults do hit other adults" (5 year old boy)
"Because if they smack each other they're not going to be very happy with themselves because they're adults now not children" (8 year old girl)
10. When you are big, will you smack children?
Two thirds of the children said they would not smack children when they were big.
"Because it hurts" (8 year old boy)
"We know what it feels like" (8 year old girl)
"No. It would be horrible to hit children" (6 year old girl)
"I won't smack my children. I don't think it's really that fair... And I wouldn't like it. Treat others how you want to be treated" (8 year old girl)
"By then it'll probably be the law and if someone found a rash on your child then they'd jail you for it" (8 year old boy)
"Because if you like smack them, it'll hurt them, their feelings and that" (7 year old boy)
"Because it hurts a lot and you could send them to their bedroom instead" (7 year old boy)
11. Do you know anybody who doesn't like smacking?
The children themselves didn't like smacking and most believed that their parents didn't like smacking, even if they did it.
12. Who thinks it's wrong to smack?
All but three children thought smacking was wrong.
"Well, if it was an adult smacking then they might think it's wrong to smack because they might hurt the child's heart, they might break the child's heart" (7 year old girl)
13. How can we stop children being smacked?
Children made several suggestions, including children improving their behaviour, adults using other ways of disciplining them, persuading adults through the media, and law reform.
"Children being good" (5 year old boy)
"Well you have to tell them, please stop smacking your children" (7 year old boy)
"I think that we should make a law to stop adults from smacking children" (7 year old girl)
"Do something else what works best ... like losing my pocket money; getting smacked doesn't stop you doing it again" (8 year old boy)
14. What can be done instead of smacking?
A variety of other punishments and sanctions were suggested, most commonly being sent to your room, being grounded, and stopping pocket money.
Listen Up! Children Talk: About Smacking, written by Anne Crowley and Cea Vulliamy, is in Welsh and English and is available (priced £6.95 plus £1 p & p) from:
Save the Children, Wales Programme, 2nd Floor, Phoenix House, 8 Cathedral Road, Cardiff, CF11 9LJ, UK
Tel. +44 (0)29 2039 6838. Alternatively, the order form can be downloaded by clicking here.
Full report available as PDF here.