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KHLO NO!
‘It’s hugely detrimental’ parenting expert slams Kardashians for letting their kids grow up too fast & ‘damaging’ them
'Kids need a childhood where they can be kids'
THERE'S no denying that life looks a little different when your parent is a billionaire - but according to one expert, Kim Kardashian and her siblings are forcing their kids to grow up way too fast.
The Kardashian-Jenner clan has long been slammed by concerned fans on social media for their bizarre parenting choices, which most recently included North West, 10, posing with shiny Swarovski jewellery.
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In the now-viral snap, the preteen could be seen sporting chunky crystal bracelets on her wrists, whilst her neck was wrapped with a similar style necklace and a crystallised chain flowing down.
This is not the first time mum Kim, 43, has been ripped apart by social media users - just earlier this month, in April, fans begged the famous Skims face to let North ''be a kid'' during a family holiday.
Kids need a childhood where they can be kids and grow and develop in environments that suit their needs
Kirsty Ketley
It appeared that the ten-year-old - who is set to make a fortune from her TikTok antics - was the designated photographer during their vacation in Turks and Caicos.
Although many of her Instagram followers complimented the snaps, others accused her of "forcing" the daughter to be her personal photographer.
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"Northie, come take thirst traps for mommy," a one joked, mocking Kim.
"Please just let her be a kid," another pleaded.
We spoke to parenting expert and mum-of-two Kirsty Ketley about it all.
Put in adult situations
While most peers her age stay in during school nights, North heads to lavish, star-studded events, such as the Met Gala.
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Kim's firstborn was just nine when she first attended the posh red carpet event, sporting an elegant oversized blazer, a pearl necklace, as well as baggy jeans and chunky black heels.
It's just one of the many instances of mum Kim putting her preteen in adult situations, and according to the expert, it's "hugely detrimental" and North was in great danger of attaching her "self-worth to external validation."
Kirsty explained: ''So, particularly in North West's case, her developing brain at age 10, isn’t equipped to properly deal with being put into situations where they are expected to behave older than they are.
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''She is only seeing the world through a part developed brain, unlike adults with a fully developed one.''
Natalie Costa, 40, a children’s confidence and parent coach and founder of Power Thoughts, from London, echoed the sentiment.
“Firstly, brain-development-wise, children aged nine don’t have a fully developed brain,” Natalie told The U.S. Sun.
“This means that they don’t have the ability to deal with or cope with environments that are very adult situations or being exposed to the adult events and content that they see.”
North's social media antics and TikTok videos
Like most kids and young teenagers, North, too, is active on social media, regularly sharing ''embarrassing'' home videos and unedited snaps of mum Kim without the glam makeup.
But although the videos are watched by millions - with fans left worried when the ten-year-old hadn't uploaded for a few days - Kirsty, a mum-of-two, said this trend was ''damaging''.
''Being on social media at a young age can be damaging to her self-confidence, again, and teaches her to seek validation through ‘likes’ and ‘follows’.
''She could also be exposed to content that isn’t appropriate and could be potentially dangerous,'' the UK-based whizz, better known to her fans as Auntie K., added.
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The 43-year-old reality star admitted that there were challenges she faced by allowing North to be on social media, she said during an interview in the Time Magazine 2023 issue.
While discussing an incident where North rapped the mature lyrics of an Ice Spice song on TikTok, Kim confessed it wasn't her proudest parenting moment.
"As soon as I saw the words, I was like, 'Oh no, we’re taking this down,'" The Kardashians star said.
"I saw on the internet, [people saying] 'Kanye was right,' and maybe he was in that instance."
Ex-hubby, Ye - formerly known as Kanye West - has also been vocal bout his disapproval of their young daughter on the social media app.
However, Kim - who shares three kids with the rapper - stressed the importance of the youngster having TikTok, which the preteen allegedly accesses only via her mother's phone on their joint account.
"But she loves making slime videos and doing her little hair tutorials, and I will fight for her to be creative," the model insisted.
Editing snaps on Instagram
Most of us are guilty on editing our photos here and there - but it's not just their own faces the Kardashian-Jenner mum add a filter on.
Earlier last year, in August, Kim's sis Khloe Kardashian was ripped apart for ''disgusting'' treatment of daughter True, 5, and nephew Psalm, 4, after a new snap left fans in a fury.
The reality star took to her Instagram profile to upload an image of the adorable tots from her huge home gym in Hidden Hills, California.
But although some fans were concerned about the casts both children were sporting, others pointed out to another issue in the photo - which clearly looked like it had been filtered.
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Several raced to Reddit to accuse the mother of "disgusting" parenting, with one begging: "Khloe, for the love of all things holy stop putting filters on the kids. What the f**k is wrong with that woman.''
"Whyyyyyyyyyyy does she put filters on these children. True is sooo beautiful, but for some reason I think Khloe is insecure about her looks, and that’s why she filters the images which is crazy to me,'' another thought.
"Pushing all of these insecurities onto your children.''
Kirsty, who insisted that this type of behaviour was ''hugely detrimental'', said: ''Exposure to filters on photos can be damaging to self-esteem and sends the message that you are not good enough the way you. ''
A five-year-old in 'grown-up' clothes
With a seemingly never-ending amount of cash, the Kardashians certainly can afford to rock brand new clothes almost every minute of the day - and it looks like their mini me's are the next generation of fashionistas.
But whilst her peers may be running around in messy joggers, five-year-old True is posing like an ''influencer'' in ripped denim and heeled cowboy boots, as well as a sparkly pink purse.
The post soon garnered many negative likes, with critics saying the tot was dressed like ''a grown up'' - a trend which Kirsty said has become ''very popular''.
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Her big sister Kim, too, has also been slammed on several occasions for North's ''very controversial wardrobe'', which features a satin corset, short dresses and even a see-through frock she wore as a one-year-old.
''With matching ‘mini me’ outfits, and clothing styles very adult like, it’s easy for kids to be dressed ‘older’.
''While it’s fine for kids to experiment with clothes, particularly at North West’s age - tweens are starting to figure out who they are, they shouldn’t be pushed into wearing something that their parents have forced upon them all in the name of social media.
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A special skincare routine
There's been a growing trend of young children using skincare, and in some cases even anti-ageing products, which could leave them with irreversible skin problems.
Many preteens and their younger siblings learn about a dedicated skin regimen online, from platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, where they then repost it - and North is no exception.
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Back in 2022, the then nine-year-old had posted a short clip of herself applying some of her mum's skincare, including a single-use sheet mask, as well as SKKN products.
It's not just fans that insisted the girl was ''too young'' - the parenting expert, too, reckoned North was ''influenced by her mom and what she sees on TikTok''.
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''It comes across like she is being prepped for a lifetime of influencing, just like her family, but how this will affect her as she grows older, could be hugely detrimental to her self-esteem and she may feel like she didn’t get a proper childhood.
''Kids need a childhood where they can be kids and grow and develop in environments that suit their needs.''