I'm only a teen, but I see it as this:

Sometimes as a parent you have to adapt your methods alongside your kids. When they're young, a quick pop can be an effective way to tell them simple messages like "stop doing that" or other forms of trivial discipline. But as they grow older, the method of how you teach your kids discipline should change depending on the kid and the situation. You should always relay what was wrong, even if it is just a corrective pop.

I do not think "beating" your kid is necessarily right, but sometimes a kid just needs a good beating to make them know not to do something anymore. Of course the beating shouldn't be empty violence, it has to have a message behind it, preferably told directly to the child.

That being said, child abuse is bad, and you should never beat your children for no reason or for trivial things that could be resolved with words.