Smacking children has become illegal in Wales - but how do parents in Manchester feel about it?

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Wales has this week made it illegal to smack children. The new legislation, which makes all forms of physical punishment illegal under the Children (Wales) Act, follows a ban in Scotland in 2020.

Previously in Wales, and as is still the case in England and Northern Ireland, smacking a child was unlawful, but such an assault was allowed as long as it constituted 'reasonable punishment'.

People in Manchester have been having their say on the move and like with many parenting issues, it's a divisive one - with some describing smacking as 'archaic and cruel' and others saying 'it's a good deterrent to keep your child in check'. READ MORE: The 70p a head budget family meal from Aldi that even the kids lapped up We asked on our Facebook page whether Britain should follow Wales in making smacking illegal and received hundreds of responses.

Many, like Michelle Barlow, believe it's been a long time coming. "Definitely," she said. "It’s an absolute disgrace this hasn’t happened sooner.