Spanking Study: High Prevalence, Harmful Impacts

0:00It's April 8th. Welcome to Vancouver News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. A new study out of Canada drops some real talk on spanking turns out, it's not fading away like we might think. Researchers surveyed nearly 4,000 adults aged 18-49, finding over half 55.6% got spanked at least. Three times as kids, and get this, parents who were spanked are way more likely to do the same to their own children. Millennial and Gen Z parents are spanking less than older folks, but the numbers are still high 22% of millennials and 18% of Gen Z admit to it. About 15% of everyone surveyed straight up believes spanking is needed to raise kids right. Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of those spanked as kids said it, left marks, bruises, or lasting pain. The impacts hit hard. No studies show any benefits for kids' health or growth, but plenty link it to risks like injuries, mental health issues, behavior problems, and even broken family bonds.

1:03Lead researcher Tracey Eiffiffy from the University of Manitoba says all the science points against it, calling out how it mirrors physical abuse harms. This is the first national deep dive, using 2024 data from every province, and a backscrapping section 43 of the criminal. Code. The law-letting parents spank kids aged 2-12, as long as it's reasonable, with no objects, no head hits, and no anger involved. But if Eiffiffy points out those rules, don't protect kids, and most parents don't even know them. Over 70 countries have banned it entirely, with no jail spikes for parents. We're seeing a slow drop, which is progress, but too many kids still face this. Time to educate on better discipline, positive parenting, that teaches without the hits, and push for that law change to shift the culture for good.