Mother accused of ‘child abuse’ after baby ear piercing video goes viral

"Barbaric! Why would anyone do this?"

The short clip has caused outrage with more than 3.6 million views on Facebook

A controversial video of a baby’s ears being pierced has sparked a fierce debate online with some even regarding it as ‘child abuse.’

The short clip, which is believed to have been filmed in the US, surfaced on the Piercings Facebook page earlier this month and has caused outrage with more than 3.6 million views and 12,000 comments.

In the video, a young baby is being held by her mother as the salon worker attempts to place marker dots on her ears.

While she seems at ease at first, the child appears to become increasingly distressed as the procedure takes place.

After two workers puncture the baby’s lobes at the same time using a piercing gun, the startled youngster cries out while the mother and staff do their best to comfort her.

Concerned by the footage, the vast majority of comments range from disbelief to hatred, with many calling it ‘child abuse.’

“Barbaric! Why would anyone do this to a baby?” one Facebook user wrote.

Another added, “All done for the sake of the parents, should be an age limit to stop this from happening.”

In the video, a young baby is being held by her mother as the salon worker attempts to place marker dots on her ears

While the response was overwhelmingly negative, there were some users that jumped to the mother’s defence.

One person said, “This isn't even a f****** big deal people get over yourself she's not torturing the baby.

Two workers puncture the baby’s lobes at the same time using a piercing gun

“If she doesn't want it when she's older she can take them out.”

While the NHS say that piercing is a fairly safe procedure, as long as it’s carried out by a licensed practitioner a petition calling on the Minister of Children, Edward Timpson, to ban ear piercing for babies has been gaining traction over the past two years.

The startled youngster cries out while the mother and staff do their best to comfort her

“It is a form of child cruelty,” the petition reads.

“Severe pain and fear is inflicted upon infants unnecessarily. It serves no purpose other than to satisfy the parent's vanity.”