‘This is what happens to people who don't spank their kids’: An analysis of YouTube comments to news reports of child to parent violence

Child to parent violence (CPV) is a form of family violence that has seen a growth in research attention over the past decade. However, little research has examined how this problem is understood by those outside of academia. This is despite recognition that public understandings of a particular social problem shape the landscape in which that problem plays out. To address this research gap, we analysed data from 463 public comments posted on YouTube in response to four UK news broadcasts that reported on the problem. Using a discourse analytic approach, we examined how posted comments framed the cause of, and solutions to, CPV. While a range of causes were identified, the posts predominantly blamed the parents, mobilizing child development discourses to attribute the cause of CPV to either parental use of violence, or to a lack of parental violence, towards children. The solutions offered reflect a penal populism that supports extremely punitive sanctions against children who engage in CPV. This study suggests that public campaign and education initiatives need to do more than raise public awareness about CPV—they must also inform the public about how broader social policy operates in relation to children, families and the state.