Every child knows that answering back with a snide remark when asked to do something by their parents will either result in time in the naughty corner or even worse.
Either way, a punishment is swiftly dealt out.
But there’s a new challenge doing the rounds on TikTok. The premise is pretty simple: Someone films a parent’s reaction when asking their child to do something for them. The child, who is in on the prank, responds with “shut up”.
You can imagine the kinds of reaction videos the challenge has spawned, many of them with the father as the unwilling victim.
Some fathers respond with an immediate “what did you just say?” or freeze in surprise at the absurdity of the remark.
There has been some controversy surrounding the Shut Up Challenge, and rightly so. It’s all fun and games until someone gets a hiding.
In some videos, some folks look like they are about to mete out some corporal punishment before realising that it’s just a prank.
But there is a subtle line between having a bit of fun and condoning spanking, which many believe the challenge is promoting.
New studies show that spanking has been shown to be ineffective and potentially dangerous.
In November 2018, after extensive research, the American Academy of Pediatrics released its most strongly worded policy statement warning against the harmful effects of corporal punishment in the home.
The findings were published in the journal Pediatrics, and recommended that parents be encouraged not to spank.
"Research has shown that corporal punishment does have one positive outcome: the short-term benefit of immediate compliance. But the research also shows that corporal punishment does not teach self-discipline,“ said Carol Bower, director of the Peace Centre.
Multiple studies have also found that children do not benefit from spanking. Instead, it has been associated with increased aggression and defiance.