WHO REPORT: “Corporal punishment (CP), carries multiple risks of harm and has no benefits.”
Band together for laws that support
and ban all corporal punishment in California
Nonviolent Discipline
4 in 10 of children in a U.S. 2022 survey were found to be subjected to corporal punishment. Hitting kids is legal in the home and in private schools in California.
We now know that corporal punishment harms a child's physical and mental health.
Continuing to deny the scientific research of the harm corporal punishment causes, we undermine the future health, safety, and success of our state.
Join us, BAND, Building Advocacy for Nonviolent Discipline, in taking a stand to ban all forms of corporal punishment and make California the first U.S. state to do so.
Whats At Stake
3 mn
children in California experience corporal punishment
(estimate # based on data)
39%
of U.S. children experience physical punishment
(2022 data from U.S. population)
0
U.S. states fully ban corporal punishment in the home
(100% fact)
Behind Every Statistic Is a Child
“My Dad Beat Me.”
Amara told her therapist, “My dad beat me,” but because there were no visible marks, the law treated it as discipline.
“It Was Like He Was Possessed.”
The day after his mother slapped him, Sam’s bottled-up anger erupted in a violent fight with another child.
The Problem
Corporal punishment, any form of discipline that uses physical force intended to cause pain or discomfort, is legal in the home and in private schools in California.
According to a 2022 U.S.-based survey, approximately 39% of children experienced corporal punishment. Thirty-nine percent of the 8.4 million children in California is more than 3 million.
Why is this a problem?
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What the Law Says in California
In California, it is still legal for parents and guardians to hit their children, as long as the force used is considered "reasonable" and not excessive.
Under Penal Code §273d, it is a crime to inflict injury on a child, but there’s a legal exception for “reasonable discipline.” This means that physical punishment, like spanking or slapping, is not automatically considered abuse unless it causes significant injury or is judged to be excessive by a court.
The law states: “Any person who willfully inflicts upon a child any cruel or inhuman corporal punishment, or an injury resulting in a traumatic condition, is guilty.”
Unfortunately, this creates a legal gray area. Children can be hit, with no consequences unless the hit meets certain criteria, such as physical marks, or there is a documented pattern of hitting. Acts that do not result in what is deemed “excessive force” can be reported to Child and Family Services, but not investigated.
Research shows that any form of physical punishment can harm a child's development, mental health, and sense of safety.
California law does protects children from being hit in public schools, foster care, and group homes, but not in their own homes or in private schools. That’s the gap we want to close.
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The Gap: Where Children Are Left Unprotected
While California has strong laws protecting adults from assault, children do not have the same level of protection from physical harm in their own homes or in private schools.
Adults are protected from being hit or slapped because such actions are considered assault under Penal code 240, an intentional act of force, meaning to touch in a harmful or offensive manner.
However, when it comes to children, the law allows parents or caregivers to use physical punishment, such as spanking or slapping, as long as it is deemed “reasonable” and does not cause visible injury, marks or is part of an ongoing pattern. This means children can be physically disciplined without legal consequences, even though the same actions would be illegal if done to an adult.
California’s child welfare system follows the Structured Decision Making (SDM®) Policy and Procedures Manual, which guides how Child and Family Services social workers assess physical discipline cases. It stresses evaluating the severity of discipline, along with the child’s age, prior history of abuse and domestic violence, but it does not explicitly prohibit corporal punishment. This means that some ways of spanking, slapping, kicking, pinching, hair pulling, and any other act that is not considered “excessive” may not be cause for an investigation.
For physical abuse, here is a list of acts that will result in an investigation. Other acts, as previously mentioned, will not result in an investigation unless there are other issues present, such as a history of hitting, or the child is less than two years old.
Examples that result in an investigation are:• Hitting with closed (not open) fist;
• Hitting child’s head, back, or abdomen with substantial force;
• Choking, kicking, or hitting with belt buckle or other dangerous object;
• Using restraints;
• Poisoning; or
• Other actions that could reasonably result in severe injury, such as:
Dangling the child from heights;
Exposing the child to dangerous temperature extremes; or
Throwing objects at the child that could cause severe injury.
As a result, physical punishment, such as harsh spanking or slapping with an open palm to the face, that leaves no visible marks, is often considered acceptable discipline. This legal ambiguity leaves many children vulnerable to harm without the protection they deserve.
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How many kids are affected?
We’ve listed all the numbers we can find from various data sources. Take in what you may; the number is big.
According to 2022 data, approximately 39% of children experience corporal punishment, peaking at age three. ¹ With approximately 8.4 million children in California,² this could mean more than 3 million children in California are experiencing corporal punishment.
A 2021 report found that 42% of caregivers reported using physical punishment at least monthly with children under 18. Of those who reported using physical punishment with their children, 32% of caregivers reported spanking their children on the bottom with a bare hand, 16% with an object (e.g., belt, cord, hair brush), and 30% slapped a child on the hand, arm or legs.³
In the same 2021 report, 87% of adults reported experiencing physical punishment at some point in their childhood. ³
A 2015 study found that 25% of parents with children under 5 years old spanked their young children several times a week or more; about a fifth spanked their children habitually, and 17% hit their children using objects such as belts, rulers, wooden spoons and clothes hangers. ⁴
According to 2014 data, roughly 49% of U.S. children aged 0–9, and 23% of youth aged 10–17, experienced corporal punishment in the past year. ⁵
Globally, 1.2 billion children aged 0-18 years are subjected to corporal punishment at home each year, and between a quarter and half of children experience corporal punishment in schools. ⁴
Sources
¹ Slep, A. M. S., Rhoades, K. A., Lorber, M. F., & Heyman, R. E. (2022). Glimpsing the iceberg: Parent-child physical aggression and abuse. Child Maltreatment.
² KidsData.org, (2025). Early Childhood Age Group in California.
³ Klika, J. B., Fleckman, J., & Merrick, M. T. (2021). Physical punishment: Attitudes, behaviors, and norms associated with its use across the U.S. Report by Prevent Child Abuse America.
⁴ World Health Organization. (2025). Corporal punishment of children: The public health impact . (WHO Reference No. B09424).
⁵ Finkelhor, D., Turner, H., Kaye Wormuth, B., & Vanderminden, J. (2019). Corporal punishment: Current rates from a national survey. Journal of Child and Family Studies.
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What Research Tells Us
A growing body of scientific research makes one thing clear: corporal punishment harms children, not just in the moment, but across a lifetime.
1. It causes atypical brain development and function.
Research shows that physical punishment can alter the structure and function of a child’s developing brain. “Spanking is linked to atypical brain functioning in regions known to be influenced by more severe forms of physical and sexual abuse. Growing evidence suggests that spanking is associated with deleterious cognitive and behavioral outcomes and changes in the neural processing of threatening emotional stimuli in children.”¹ Studies reveal that spanking is associated with changes in the prefrontal cortex, a region responsible for emotional regulation, impulse control, and empathy.
2. It increases risk for mental health disorders and cognition problems.
Children who are physically punished are more likely to develop “mental health disorders and cognition problems” as well as “adverse outcomes, similar to those in children who experience physical abuse.” ² The American Academy of Pediatrics warns against any use of corporal punishment due to its harmful psychological effects.
3. It raises a child’s ACE score.
Corporal punishment contributes to a higher Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) score, a measure that reflects early traumatic experiences. Higher ACE scores are directly linked to increased risk of chronic health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and substance abuse. Experiencing violence in the home, even when culturally normalized, can shape long-term physical and mental health outcomes.³
4. It doesn’t work better than other methods.
Extensive research shows that non-violent discipline strategies, such as modeling, redirection, and natural consequences, are far more effective for long-term behavior change. Corporal punishment may temporarily stop a behavior but erodes trust and doesn't teach the child why that behavior was wrong.⁴
5. It increases aggression in children.
Children who are hit are more likely to become aggressive themselves. Physical punishment teaches that force is a way to solve problems, which contributes to higher levels of aggression and defiance, especially over time.⁵
6. Corporal punishment is not separate from abuse, but on the same continuum with similar outcomes.
Corporal punishment and physical abuse are not as different as many believe. “Children who are physically punished … have similarly negative outcomes to children that are physically abused.” ⁶ And the risk of escalation to abuse is real, as the WHO reports, “All corporal punishment, however mild or light, carries an inbuilt risk of escalation.” ⁷
Sources
¹ Cuartas, J., et al. (2021). Corporal Punishment and Elevated Neural Response to Threat in Children.
² American Academy of Pediatrics. (2018). Effective Discipline to Raise Healthy Children. Pediatrics, 142(6), e20183112.
³ Felitti, V.J., Anda, R.F., et al. (1998). Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults: The ACE Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258.
⁴ Gershoff, E.T., & Grogan-Kaylor, A. (2016). Spanking and Child Outcomes. Journal of Family Psychology, 30(4), 453–469.
⁵ Gershoff, E.T. (2002). Corporal punishment by parents and associated child behaviors. Psychological Bulletin, 128(4), 539–579.
⁶ Slep, A.M.S., et al. (2022). Glimpsing the Iceberg: Parent-Child Physical Aggression and Abuse. Child Maltreatment.
⁷ World Health Organization. (2025) Corporal punishment of children and health.
“Legally protecting children from physical punishment [is] a position that is not popular and, to a great degree, invisible.”
How it feels to a child
It just feels horrid, you know, and it really hurts. It stings you and makes you feel horrible inside ... I think it makes you feel ashamed inside. It feels ... as though you want to run away because they're sort of like being mean to you and it hurts …
— A seven-year old girl, documented in The Global Movement to End All Corporal Punishment, Joan Durant
Are you starting to understand …
“The more children are spanked, the greater the risk that they will be physically abused by their parents.”
-Gershoff, E. T., & Grogan-Kaylor, A. (2016). Spanking and child outcomes: Old controversies and new meta-analyses. Journal of Family Psychology, 30(4)
The Solution
The solution is to ban all forms of physical discipline against children, including in the home and private schools. In California it is currently outlawed in public schools.
Countries Sweden, Japan, and Colombia have already taken this important step to protect children from all forms of corporal punishment. California can, too.
Where do we start?
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California’s Evolving Stance on Corporal Punishment
For much of its history, California, like many states, permitted corporal punishment in both homes and schools. Over time, growing awareness of the harms associated with physical discipline has led to meaningful legal and cultural shifts aimed at protecting children.
1986: Banning Corporal Punishment in Public Schools
California took a pivotal step in 1986 by banning corporal punishment in public schools. The legislation was championed by activist Jordan Riak, who worked with Assemblyman Sam Farr to draft and promote the bill. With its passage, California became the ninth state to prohibit physical discipline in public education. This landmark decision recognized that hitting children, even in the name of discipline, undermines both learning and emotional development.
Source: Wikipedia Joran Riak2007: Proposed Ban on Spanking Young Children
In 2007, Assemblywoman Sally Lieber introduced a bill to ban the spanking of children under four. The proposal sparked national headlines and intense debate about the role of government in parenting. Though the bill ultimately failed, it opened the door to public conversations about the emotional and developmental impact of physical punishment.
Source: Bill Number AB 755 Bill Text2018: American Academy of Pediatrics Urges an End to Physical Punishment
In December 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a bold and evidence-based policy statement: urging parents, caregivers, and policymakers to eliminate all forms of physical and verbal punishment. The AAP called for education around positive and effective parenting strategies, emphasizing that spanking and verbal humiliation not only fail to improve behavior but increase the risk of mental health problems, aggression, and strained relationships.
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics2019: California Democratic Party Endorses Ban on Spanking
In 2019, the California Democratic Party passed a resolution calling for a ban on spanking. Introduced by psychologist Dr. Amy Bacharach, the resolution acknowledged the science behind trauma-informed care and the need for legislative alignment. Though it did not lead to direct legal change, the resolution reflected a growing understanding that hitting children, even lightly, can have lasting consequences.
Source: Resolution 19-05.112. Ending Physical/Corporal Punishment of Children, page 3.2023: Updated AAP Policy and Focus on Disparities
In August 2023, the AAP published an updated policy statement highlighting key disparities among Black children and children with disabilities, emphasizing how corporal punishment disproportionately harms these groups. The statement called for a concerted national effort to abolish corporal punishment in all schools to promote equity and child well-being.
Source: AAP 2023 Policy UpdatePresent Day: Legal but Contested
Today in California, despite public school bans, party resolutions, and decades of research, children remain the only group of people in California who can legally be struck by someone entrusted with their care.
The law distinguishes between abuse and discipline, but for a child, both can feel the same. We need to raise our standards in parenting, react responsibly to modern-day research, and implement fair laws to protect the human rights of children.
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Advocates, Educators, Policymakers and Politicians
Dr. Amy Bacharach: Active, notably with the 2019 California Democratic Party resolution to ban spanking. Continues to advocate for ending corporal punishment.
Elizabeth Gershoff, PhD: Continues publishing research on the harms of corporal punishment and advising policy.
Dr. Joan Durrant: Active internationally advocating to ban corporal punishment and advising governments.
Organizations Leading the Movement
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It Can Be Done
Outlawing corporal punishment is not just an ideal, it is entirely possible.
Around the world, many countries have taken the decisive step to protect children fully by banning all corporal punishment, in every setting, including the home.
Since 1979, a growing number of nations have enacted laws to end corporal punishment, including Sweden, Finland, Norway, and many others.
Today, more than 70 countries, from Europe to Africa, Asia to the Americas, have recognized the rights of children to live free from physical punishment.
In many of these countries, the first step was to outlaw corporal punishment without attaching penalties. This allowed time to focus on public education, helping parents understand the harm caused by hitting and encouraging positive, non-violent ways of raising children. Once the law was in place and awareness grew, the culture began to change.
Some key milestones include:
Sweden: the first country to ban corporal punishment in 1979
New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal: among many countries banning it by 2007
South Africa, and South Korea, Thailand: recent adopters affirming the global movement toward non-violent childhoods
This global trend demonstrates clearly that it is both achievable and necessary to outlaw corporal punishment.
California can follow this proven path and join the global movement to end all forms of corporal punishment. by 2030.
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How We Can Eliminate Corporal Punishment in California
California has already made important progress by banning corporal punishment in public schools, daycare centers, and foster care. But to fully protect children, we need to do more.
The next step would be extending the ban of corporal punishment in public schools to private schools. Massachusetts introduced a bill like this in 2025, Bill H.625, showing it’s possible.
Ending corporal punishment in the home will take more time and perseverance. But with the momentum created by the World Health Organization to outlaw all corporal punishment by 2030, it is certainly possible.
More than 70 countries have already banned all forms of corporal punishment. Their strategy is to pass laws that clearly state hitting is not acceptable, but without penalties at first. This gives space to educate parents about the harm caused by spanking and to share positive, non-violent ways of guiding children.
There are many examples to follow and guidelines California can use to enact this change. One is the Global Initiative to End Corporal Punishment Guide to Effective Law Reform.
Banning all forms of corporal punishment in California is possible.
Will you be part of the change? Please get involved today by emailing info@banhittingkids.com.
“Corporal punishment is the most common form of violence against children worldwide. [It] violates children’s right to respect for their physical integrity, and ... their right to equal protection.”
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