Smacking should be banned

The Royal College of Paediatrics has warned that parents should be banned from smacking their children because of the risk that "today’s smack will become tomorrow’s punch".

In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, the group of specialists said they felt that the punishment was equivalent to “physical assault” and was a “very ineffective deterrent” to bad behaviour. College president Professor Terence Stephenson said he would prefer to see parents instead adopt a “positive” approach and set stronger boundaries for their children.

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