Kim, North and the finger piercing that broke TikTok’s brain

The Moment

Kim Kardashian and her 12-year-old daughter North West are back in the parenting debate hot seat, and this time it’s over a tiny piece of jewelry on one very famous finger.

Earlier this month, a TikTok user posted a video saying that North getting a finger piercing was “;breaking my heart,”; adding text and hashtags about North and the Kardashian family. The clip quickly picked up views and comments from people worried, outraged, or just confused that a pre-teen had what’s known as a dermal finger piercing.

Instead of ignoring it, Kim and North answered from their joint TikTok account. Their comment? A breezy, “;it’s okay”; response that basically told the internet to calm down. That casual shrug set off a fresh wave of reactions: some praised the “;gentle parenting,”; others blasted Kim for letting a 12-year-old do something they saw as risky and too grown.

This all follows earlier backlash in September, when photos of North’s finger piercing circulated and critics labeled it “;dangerous.”; A month later, Kim talked about North’s edgy outfits, like a black corset and mini skirt, on the “;Call Her Daddy”; podcast with Alex Cooper, saying all the kids are wearing similar looks but admitting that one outfit was a “;mistake in front of the whole world.”;

The Take

I’ll be honest: if you expected the Kardashians to start parenting like your local PTA president, I have a Skims bodysuit to sell you.

Is a dermal finger piercing extreme for a 12-year-old? For a lot of parents, yes. For celebrity kids who’ve grown up on red carpets and in glam chairs, it’s more like Tuesday. The real shock factor here isn’t the jewelry – it’s the constant livestream of a child’s life for millions of strangers to dissect.

A dermal piercing is a bigger medical risk than a standard ear piercing. Healthline and other medical sites note that dermals sit under the skin with a tiny anchor and only one entry point, which makes them more prone to irritation, snagging and infection than a basic lobe stud. So it’s not crazy that adults watching this from their mom-and-dad couches are uneasy.

But what’s getting lost in the outrage is the bigger, messier question: why are we, as grown adults, this emotionally invested in what a 12-year-old does with her hands?

Kim seems to be trying to walk a tightrope: let North experiment with fashion and beauty, keep the brand machine humming, and still look like a responsible mom. That’s a nearly impossible balance when your kid is both a child and a content creator. Handing a middle schooler a public TikTok account with 10 million opinions attached is like handing them the microphone at a shareholder meeting and hoping they don’t start freestyling.

Personally, I’m a lot more worried about North growing up with a global comments section as her mirror than I am about the actual piece of metal in her finger. Piercings close. Screenshots don’t.

Receipts

Confirmed:

Kim Kardashian’s parenting skills have once again attracted scrutiny after her 12-year-old daughter North West was spotted with a ‘high-risk piercing.’
More details at the link below. (📸: TIKTOK) https://t.co/eOJNqc77VH pic.twitter.com/SqntHsZ6cm

— Radar Online (@radar_online) November 14, 2025

• A November 2025 report from a celebrity news outlet described a TikTok video where a user said North’s finger piercing was “;breaking my heart,”; along with overlay text and hashtags about North and the Kardashians.
• That same report noted that Kim and North replied from their joint TikTok account with a short comment along the lines of “;it’s okay,”; which sparked mixed responses from other users.
• Previous clips on Kim and North’s shared TikTok have shown close-up shots of North’s dermal finger piercing, including what looks like a double puncture with a small silver barbell.
• On Alex Cooper’s “;Call Her Daddy”; podcast in 2025, Kim talked about North’s black corset and mini skirt look, saying all the kids are wearing similar styles but admitting that outfit was something they wouldn’t repeat after public backlash.
• According to Healthline’s overview of dermal piercings, these piercings use a single-entry anchor under the skin and carry higher risks of irritation, infection and snagging than traditional piercings that go in one side and out the other.

Unverified or Opinion-Based:

• The claim that allowing a dermal finger piercing automatically amounts to “;bad parenting”; – that’s a value judgment, not a medical or legal finding.
• Any assumptions about Kim’s motives (for example, doing this primarily for publicity) are speculation unless she says so directly.
• Predictions about long-term harm to North’s health or emotional well-being from this specific piercing are not backed by evidence in the reporting.

Backstory (For Casual Readers)

For anyone who hasn’t kept up: Kim Kardashian, now a billionaire entrepreneur and reality TV mainstay, shares North West with her ex-husband Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West). North, born in 2013, has grown up in front of cameras and is already a mini style star, performing on stage, sitting front row at fashion shows and racking up views on the joint TikTok she runs with Kim.

That TikTok presence has been controversial from day one. Kim has said she wants to give North creative freedom, while Ye has publicly objected to their daughter being online. Meanwhile, the internet has had opinions about everything from North’s goth-inspired outfits to faux face tattoos to the now-infamous finger piercing. Every time Kim lets North push the envelope, the same questions pop up: is this harmless self-expression, or is it too much, too soon?

What’s Next

Realistically, the finger piercing isn’t going to be the last North-related controversy. As long as Kim and North share a TikTok account, every outfit, accessory and offhand comment is going to be treated like a referendum on modern parenting.

Things to watch: whether Kim quietly reins in North’s more extreme looks, whether we see more “;clap back”; comments from their joint account, and if the next season of “;The Kardashians”; shows any behind-the-scenes talks about what North is and isn’t allowed to post. It would also not be shocking if a dermatologist or piercing professional weighs in publicly, because nothing says 2020s culture like experts being dragged into a celebrity kid discourse.

If there’s a silver lining, it might be this: a lot of parents are using the story as a jumping-off point for their own house rules on kids, social media and body mods. We may disagree wildly on where the line should be, but at least we’re finally admitting there is a line.

Sources: Reporting from a U.S. celebrity news outlet published November 19, 2025; Kim Kardashian’s comments on the “;Call Her Daddy”; podcast with Alex Cooper (2025); Healthline’s consumer guide to dermal piercings (accessed prior to 2025).

Your turn: Where do you draw the line on style choices for kids and pre-teens – harmless self-expression, or would a dermal piercing be a hard no in your house?