North West, the 12-year-old daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, has officially stepped into the social media spotlight with her own Instagram account. The debut on Friday has immediately reignited the long-running public dispute between her parents over her online presence.
A Managed Debut and a Stylistic First Post
Launching under her own name, North West shared her first post: a stylishly blurred, motion-effect photograph of herself. In the image, she wore a black Balenciaga short-sleeve jersey and a matching ribbed miniskirt, accessorised with multiple necklaces, bracelets, and tall black boots adorned with silver chains. The pre-teen flashed dual peace signs with a blank expression, captioning the shot simply "first post."
The account's biography explicitly states it is "managed by parents," an attempt to reassure followers of adult supervision. However, this has done little to quell the controversy surrounding her online activity, given her father's vehement and well-documented opposition.
Kanye West's Resurfaced Opposition
The launch has brought a 2022 video clip of Kanye West back into circulation. In the footage, the 48-year-old rapper expresses outrage about his children's social media use under the supervision of his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, 45. "I told [Kim] to stop antagonizing me with this TikTok thing," he stated. "I said, 'Never again.' I said, 'I am not allowing my daughter to be used by TikTok.'"
This conflict was reignited as recently as October 2023, when North posted videos on a joint TikTok account with her mother. In the clips, she sported a dramatic look featuring long blue braids, blue contact lenses, fake facial tattoos, a faux nose ring, and grillz. The appearance split public opinion, with some dismissing it as a Halloween costume and others deeming it inappropriate.
A Public Family Dispute and Hypocrisy Claims
The debate has spilled onto social media platforms, with the resurfaced 2022 clip of Kanye West garnering over five million views on X (formerly Twitter). It sparked a heated discussion among users, with many pointing to perceived hypocrisy in West's stance, given his wife Bianca Censori's frequent headlines for her revealing public outfits.
"The man who makes his wife walk around naked is worried about his child's Halloween costume?" questioned one commenter. Others defended West's paternal concerns, with one user stating, "Kanye was trying to shield her from the digital machine that profits off lost innocence."
Kim Kardashian has previously addressed the feud directly. In a 2022 Instagram Stories post responding to West's video, she referred to herself as the "main provider and caregiver" and defended allowing North creative expression with adult supervision. "Kanye's constant attacks on me... is actually more hurtful than any TikTok North might create," she wrote.
With North West's Instagram now live, the central question remains how much influence her famously outspoken father will wield over the account's content, setting the stage for the next chapter in this very public family disagreement.
