Barometer of ordinary educational violence 2026

Against the backdrop of a gradual transformation in the way parenthood is perceived, the issue of ordinary educational violence has emerged as a major public health and child protection challenge. The inclusion of the ban on such violence in French law in 2019 marked a decisive step forward, enshrining the principle of an education free from violence, whether physical, verbal or psychological. Since then, awareness-raising initiatives by public authorities and associations have helped to change attitudes and put the issue firmly on the public agenda.

The Fondation pour l’Enfance has a long-standing commitment to preventing violence against children and supporting parents, and since 2022 has been working with Ifop to produce a barometer dedicated to ordinary educational violence (VEO).

The results of this 2026 edition highlight a contrasting reality. On the one hand, parents appear generally receptive to messages in favor of a violence-free upbringing: they widely recognize the deleterious effects of educational violence, and the majority declare that they adhere to the principles enshrined in the law. On the other hand, this acceptance remains partial and incomplete. Knowledge of what constitutes ordinary educational violence is still sketchy (parents have little idea of what it entails), and the feeling that it serves an educational purpose legitimizes it in the eyes of a significant proportion of parents.

Key figures :

– More than 7 out of 10 parents (72%) say they are aware of ordinary educational violence, but its contours are unclear, and parents remain fairly indecisive when it comes to identifying what does or doesn’t fall within the scope of VEO.

– 80% of parents agree that French laws discourage corporal punishment, but almost a third continue to attribute an educational value to it (32%)

– Ordinary educational violence remains widespread: 84% of parents say they have used violence at least once in the last 12 months (83% verbal or psychological violence, and 41% physical violence).

– Although perceived as poor disciplinary practice by 7 out of 10 parents, spanking retains legitimacy among some: for educational purposes, it is deemed more acceptable than other forms of violence (36%, vs. 9% for slapping in the face), and is sometimes considered the only way to be obeyed (30%). It is practised by more than 1 parent in 5 (22% have slapped their child’s bottom with their bare hands, at least once during the year).

– Some parent profiles are more inclined to legitimize corporal punishment:
* parents who were victims of corporal punishment in childhood normalize these practices and are more likely to reproduce these violent attitudes, whether verbal or physical;
* men also share this view, but without resorting to VEO to a greater extent: 40% believe that some children need it to learn to behave properly, compared with 25% of women, reflecting significant differences in educational representations.

Find all the results and a summary below.