North West’s latest TikTok post has reignited a familiar debate about her edgy style and her mom Kim Kardashian’s parenting choices.
The 12-year-old daughter of Kim and Kanye West hopped on the joint TikTok account she shares with her mom on Nov. 11 to debut new dermal piercings—two on her right middle finger and one blue gem on her left. She captioned the photos, “Thanks, mom.”
The post immediately took off across social media, drawing a mix of fascination and backlash. Some fans praised North’s creativity, but others questioned why a preteen would be getting dermal piercings in the first place.
“This is what happens when you want to be your child’s best friend instead of a parent,” one Reddit user wrote. Over on X (formerly Twitter), the criticism went further, with comments like “Kim is a horrible mom… these are things a 12-year-old should NOT be doing. What a disgrace. KANYE HELP HER!!!”
Beyond the parenting debate, experts say dermal finger piercings aren’t a great idea—especially for kids. Unlike traditional piercings, dermals sit beneath the skin with no exit hole and need to be surgically removed.
“Your hands are the most high-traffic area on your body,” professional piercer Gab Rydelle explained on TikTok. “Major infections can happen from bacteria entering the piercing channel—it can even affect nerves and muscles.”
The British Association of Dermatologists has warned that dermal piercings can migrate, embed, and scar—risks that increase dramatically on the hands, where jewelry can easily snag.
North has been pushing boundaries with her style all year. Back in August, she was spotted in Rome with bright blue ponytails, a corset, a mini skirt, and knee-high boots—along with another finger piercing. In October, she hit an OsamaSon concert rocking fake face tattoos, blue contacts, grills, and a diamond-studded Vivienne Westwood chain.
Every time, the internet splits in two: those who see a confident young trendsetter and those who say she’s growing up too fast.
Kim Kardashian has made it clear she’s not losing sleep over the criticism. When fans questioned the new piercings on TikTok, she commented, “This is such a non-issue 😭.”
She expanded on that mindset last month on the Call Her Daddy podcast: “I tell her, ‘Honey, if you want blue hair, go for it.’ It brings her so much joy, and I would never stifle her creativity.” Kim added that she’s “still learning” as a mom while trying to balance North’s self-expression with age-appropriate limits.
According to Kim, North’s fascination with makeup and design comes from taking special effects classes—and the 12-year-old is already confident enough to clap back at her critics.
Kanye West, on the other hand, has voiced serious concerns about his daughter’s public image. He’s described North’s evolving style as part of an “initiation ritual,” accusing the Kardashian camp of prepping her to be an “industry puppet.”
Ye has consistently warned about the downsides of raising kids in the spotlight, saying he doesn’t want his children “exploited by fame.”
The latest piercing controversy isn’t just about jewelry—it’s another flashpoint in the ongoing conversation about parenting in the social media era.
While Kim defends North’s choices as harmless self-expression, critics argue that permanent body mods at 12 cross the line. Still, others point out that North’s confidence and individuality are exactly what her generation celebrates.
