ITV GMB viewers ‘feel sick’ as they threaten to ‘switch off’ over furious debate

sparked a divide after it was discussed whether it is ever acceptable to smack a child. The debate was held after a child education expert said he thinks banning smacking would be a mistake following calls from a leading group of children’s doctors for the government to make it illegal in England. Joining and on Thursday’s (March 13) edition of the ITV programme was writer and broadcaster Sally Jones, who believes smacking can be used as a last resort, and Lewis Oakley, who is completely against the concept. 

Sally explained that she smacked her two children three times in total during their childhood, adding that it was “not very hard”. One instance came when her daughter let go of her hand and started to run into a busy road. Lewis interjected and asked why Sally couldn’t simply explain the severity of the situation to the child, to which Sally claimed there comes a stage where the child is “beyond explanation”. 

Lewis, a dad of a two and four-year-old, said he has “never come close” to the point of needing to smack them. The broadcaster explained he uses other techniques such as threatening to take their toys away or counting down. “It never needs to get to the point of physical violence,” he added.

The debate certainly got viewers talking as they flocked to social media to share their thoughts, with one admitting the thought made them “feel sick”.

One wrote: “I used to smack my son (now 30) when he was little, but now I feel completely different and no longer feel it appropriate. In fact, it makes me feel sick. And I wouldn’t dream of smacking my granddaughter. However, I do believe in discipline, it’s necessary for development.”

A second fumed: “Not happy with #GMB this morning – had to turn my telly off over that child smacking bit. Turns my stomach to think of people hurting their kids.” Another echoed: “This man is talking sense. These older lot ain’t got a clue. You don’t NEED to hit your kids. Ffs!”

A fourth said: “It is not ok. Fear of a parent is not respect of a parent. I spent most of my childhood in fear and suppressed so much due to the consequence being a smack. I have two children and I want them to feel free to express themselves. I set boundaries that are clear and I discipline.”

However, others agreed with Sally, believing there is nothing wrong with lightly smacking a child.

“A light smack never hurt anyone … perhaps we need to do more of that given the state of a society,” wrote one viewer as a second agreed: “Smacking does no harm i used to get smacked all the time as a child and look at how well adjusted i turned out.”

Another penned: “I’m 60 and I was smacked twice by my dad, both times I deserved it. I still remember the shock of it and it didn’t make me go and smack others.”

Echoing this, a fourth shared: “I got a smack only on my backside if I did something wrong. Nothing wrong with me. Everyone is so softy softy nowadays.”

Good Morning Britain’s official poll results revealed 62% of viewers believe it’s acceptable to smack a child while 38% believe it is not.

This is a breaking live TV story, the team will be updating this story with the latest information as soon as we receive it. For further updates, please refresh the page

You can also get email updates on the day’s biggest TV stories straight to your inbox by

Get all the very best news, pictures, opinion and video on your favourite TV shows by following every time you see our name.

• Follow Express on Google News –

• Follow Express on Apple News -_ available on Apple devices_

• Follow Express on _Flipboard – _ and click follow

You can also sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news and all the latest updates by following, or for the latest TV and showbiz news, follow

Keep up-to-date with your must-see TV stories, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at