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Shocking number of millennial and Gen Z parents spank their kids, study says: ‘Necessary to raise a child properly’

Nypost · · 574 words · By Reda Wigle
Child Discipline Generational Differences Public Health Guidelines
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What to know about Child Discipline

Shocking number of millennial and Gen Z parents spank their kids, study says: ‘Necessary to raise a child properly’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 14
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center50%
Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Shocking number of millennial and Gen Z parents spank their kids, study says: ‘Necessary to raise a child properly’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleSpare the rod and spoil the child?

Common ground

A recent study found that a large swath of Gen Z and millennial parents still use spanking as a form of punishment.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/28/lifestyle/millennial-and-gen-z-parents-admit-to-sp…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Fear 70% confidence
Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 4
check_circle Corroborated 4
verified Verified By Reference 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info Single Source 1
verified Verified 1
verified
Claim 1: “The WHO defines corporal punishment as any “in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light.””
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
A web search result explicitly quotes the WHO (2023) definition of corporal punishment as 'any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light.'
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web search NEUTRAL — The World Health Organization (2023) defines corporal punishment as any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light. This includes…
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/physical-chastisement-mainly-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Form of punishment used by parents to inflict physical pain or discomfort From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Corporal_punishment_in_…
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web search NEUTRAL — The term “corporal punishment” refers to the form of punishment where a certain degree of physical force is used by any supervising adult to inflict pain or discomfort on individuals, both adults and …
https://blog.ipleaders.in/corporal-punishment/
schedule
Claim 2: “The study notes that being spanked as a child significantly increases the odds of spanking your own child.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 3: “She cites a 2021 study that found children who are spanked at age 3 are more likely to have externalizing behaviors by age 5 — including destroying their own belongings or being mean to or physically attacking others — than those who were not physically punished.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results discuss the link between spanking at early ages (e.g., age 5) and subsequent externalizing behaviors, supporting the general finding of the cited research, although the specific 'age 3 to age 5' timeline is partially corroborated by related studies in the search results.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2021 (MMXXI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2021st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 21st year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tamil Nadu legislative assembly election was held on 6 April 2021 to elect the representatives of the 16th Tamil Nadu assembly. Elections were held for all the 234 constituencies in the assembly. The …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Tamil_Nadu_Legislative_As…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dune (titled on-screen as Dune: Part One) is a 2021 American epic space opera film co-produced and directed by Denis Villeneuve, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth. It is the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(2021_film)
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 4: “Within the survey, 55.6% of parents reported being spanked three or more times themselves as children.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 5: “While the AAP strongly discouraged spanking in its 1998 clinical report on effective discipline, its updated 2018 policy flat-out abolished it.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the AAP discouraged spanking in a 1998 report and issued a stronger policy statement against it in November 2018.
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web search NEUTRAL — Nov 5, 2018 · In a new policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics said parents should not use spanking, hitting, slapping, threatening, insulting, ...
https://www.facebook.com/wxii12news/posts/in-a-new-policy-st…
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web search NEUTRAL — Nov 5, 2018 · The American Academy of Pediatrics says the practice is "not effective" in the long term, but some Twitter users disagree.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/people-disagree-aaps-guideli…
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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 10, 2020 · In a 1998 clinical report, the AAP merely discouraged its use. Also, in a 1992 survey of family physicians and pediatricians, the majority ...
https://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/spa…
info
Claim 6: “Meanwhile, 45% of Gen Xers admitted to spanking their children.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the study mentioned in Claim 0 is corroborated, the specific figure of 45% for Gen X parents is not explicitly detailed in the provided evidence snippets, though the study's existence is confirmed.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gen is most commonly seen as a contraction (such as Gen.) and it may refer to: Book of Genesis General officer Generation#Western world as in GenX, GenZ, etc. Genitive case Gen may also refer to: Ge…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gen V is an American satirical superhero television series, developed by Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg, and Eric Kripke, serving as a spin-off of The Boys by Kripke, and loosely based on The Boys com…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_V
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Gen Z stare is a generally pejorative phrase coined by social media users to describe a "blank stare that members of younger generations such as Generation Z give in situations where a verbal resp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_Z_stare
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “As of 2024, spanking is legal in all 50 US states.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 8: “At least 69 countries have legally abolished all corporal punishment of children.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to verify the specific number of countries (69) that have abolished corporal punishment.
help
Claim 9: “Sweden was the first country to outlaw the practice in 1979.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to verify that Sweden was the first country to outlaw the practice in 1979.
verified
Claim 10: “15% of the 4,000 adults surveyed reported believing spanking was necessary to raise a child properly.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence mentions a different statistic (62% of parents believe spanking is necessary) from a 'ZipDo Education Reports 2025' and does not confirm the specific 15% of 4,000 adults figure.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a timeline of 1960s counterculture. Influential events and milestones years before and after the 1960s are included for context relevant to the subject period of the early 1960s throu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_1960s_countercultu…
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web search NEUTRAL — “Although many children who were spanked become happy, healthy adults, current evidence suggests that spanking is not necessary and may result in long-term harm,” the academy advised in a statement.
https://www.graphic.com.gh/lifestyle/life/the-spanking-gener…
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web search NEUTRAL — Management of Stroke in Neonates and Children: A Scientific S.
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/STR.0000000000000183
+ 1 more evidence source
verified
Claim 11: “The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have both taken a clear stance against spanking.”
VERIFIED
Evidence from multiple sources confirms that both the AAP and WHO oppose corporal punishment/spanking.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 11, 2026 · Evidence shows corporal punishment harms children's physical and mental health, increases behavioural problems over time, and has no positive ...
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/corporal-pu…
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web search NEUTRAL — Nov 5, 2018 · Spanking/corporal punishment is used less and less now days. It was removed from schools many years ago. As a result are the youth of today more ...
https://www.facebook.com/fresnobee/posts/why-the-american-ac…
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web search NEUTRAL — A growing body of research has shown that spanking and other forms of physical discipline can pose serious risks to children.
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/04/spanking
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Claim 12: “Meanwhile, a 2017 study found that children who are spanked are more likely to become violent with a romantic partner later in life.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources indicate a link between childhood corporal punishment and adult intimate partner violence, including a specific study finding a 40% increase in likelihood.
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web search NEUTRAL — The study found those who experience childhood corporal punishment by fathers are around 40% more likely to become a victim or perpetrator of physical intimate partner violence in adulthood.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392282308_Childhood…
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web search NEUTRAL — While there is a strong link between being abused as a child and growing up to become involved in partner violence, smacking has historically been considered relatively innocuous.
https://theconversation.com/evidence-shows-children-who-are-…
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web search NEUTRAL — We did not find that childhood attachment moderated the relationship between IPV and adult attachment. These results provide insight on attachment-based interventions that can mitigate the negative ef…
https://tpcjournal.nbcc.org/the-impact-of-intimate-partner-v…
schedule
Claim 13: “Meanwhile, 40.2% reported being spanked between zero and two times.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 14: “Published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health last month, the research revealed that when this demographic of parents was asked whether they had ever spanked their child or children with their hand, about 20% said “yes.””
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm a study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health reporting that approximately 20% (specifically 18.7% for Gen Z and 22.1% for millennials) of these parents have spanked their children.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of academic journals published by Medknow Publications.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Medknow_Publications_a…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Generation Alpha, often shortened to Gen Alpha, is the demographic cohort succeeding Generation Z and preceding the proposed Generation Beta. While researchers and popular media loosely identify the e…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Alpha
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Generation Z, often shortened to Gen Z and informally known as Zoomers, is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-la…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.