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Is it wrong to tickle a child without asking for their consent first?

8 February 2019

Russell Brand has said . The comedian and actor confessed to feeling shame for having, in the past, tickled a friend’s child. To him, it felt like a violation of the child’s personal space.

But that’s just one person’s view. Mornings with Laura Maxwell discussed whether it’s OK to tickle a child without his/her consent with three guests: a grandparent, a feminist blogger and a neuroscientist.

Grandparent Malcolm felt it would be a great shame if immediate family members were discouraged from tickling children as it would “take the fun and happiness out of children’s lives”.

Feminist blogger Sarah believed a child should always be asked if he or she is happy with the idea of being tickled and that both boys and girls should be raised to feel they have a sense of bodily autonomy.

Can tickling be harmful?

Sophie Scott, a neuroscientist at University College London, brought a scientific view to the concept of tickling.

“I suspect the only real point for tickling is to get laughter going. Laughter is an important behaviour and we need a way to get it going.”

But there are other people who share Russell Brand’s view. One of them is Jane Evans, a childhood anxiety and trauma expert:-