Twenty years after urging caution among parents who choose to discipline their children with spankings, the American Academy of Pediatrics has updated its stance. Now, its overwhelming consensus for parents: Do not do it. In a new policy statement issued earlier this month, the group warns that "Aversive disciplinary strategies, including all forms of corporal punishment and yelling at or shaming children, are minimally effective in the short-term and not effective in the long-term.
With new evidence, researchers link corporal punishment to an increased risk of negative behavioral, cognitive, psychosocial, and emotional outcomes for children. The advisory for parents and adults "to avoid physical punishment and verbal abuse of children" comes at a time when support of such discipline is on the decline.
As the AAP detailed in its policy statement:. Despite these shifting attitudes, several states continue to have laws that explicitly allow schools to perform corporal punishment, as NPR reported just last year. Shu presented the AAP's findings alongside Dr. She said the evidence shows that spankings do more harm than good when it comes to a child's development. A less harmful way to discipline children effectively would be to reward good behavior and stay consistent with expectations, Shu said.
Though physical discipline has been part of American culture for generations, Shu said the research is clear β it is time for change. And what does Shu think about the argument that people who received spankings as kids turned out fine? She compares it to growing up at a time when car seats weren't required for young children. Search Query Show Search. One Small Step. Community Calendar. Show Search Search Query. Play Live Radio. Next Up:.
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