Expert reveals how spanking can devastate kids and create violent adults

Hands off. As discussion on the best way to raise and discipline children continues to evolve, a leading expert is underscoring the devastating dangers of corporal punishment.“Parenting is hard, and most parents are doing the best they can with the tools they were given,” mother, pediatrician, and parenting expert Dr.Isha Mannering told The Post.“Many were spanked as children and sincerely believe it is the right way to teach, correct, or keep a child safe.”Still, she says her stance on spanking or any other form of physical discipline is a hard no. “While it may result in compliance in the moment, it does so through fear rather than teaching the deeper skills children actually need, like self-regulation or sound judgment,” she said.Recent research reveals that 15% of parents still believe spanking is “necessary” to raise a child, and a 2026 study found that a large swath of Gen Z and millennial parents still use spanking as a form of punishmentFor many parents, the practice is the product of cultural normalization, i.e., ‘I was spanked and turned out fine.’ For others, the choice to spank reflects stress, isolation and a lack of practical alternatives that feel effective in real time.“These parents are not necessarily choosing between good and bad parenting.

They are choosing between familiar and unfamiliar tools under stress.”Mannering shared that many parents confuse the immediate fear-born silence and obedience that often comes from spanking with long-term behavioral success or family progress. “A child who stops a certain behavior because they are scared may learn to avoid punishment, but they may not learn why the behavior was wrong, how to repair it or what to do differently next time.” And experts strongly suggest that spanking is not the best way to support a child’s development.A 2021 study found that children who are spanked at age 3 are more likely to be violent and disruptive at age 5, with observed behavior including ...