Kelly Clarkson sparks controversy after revealing she spanks 3-year-old daughter River

Kelly Clarkson has found herself in the midst of controversy after revealing she spanks her 3-year-old daughter River.

“I don’t mean hitting her hard,” the former "American Idol" champion said during a radio interview. “I mean just a spanking.”

The three-time Grammy winner went on, revealing that her parents used physical punishment when she was growing up.

"I’m from the South, ‘ya’ll, so we get spankings," she said. "My mom would call the principal if I ever ended up in the principal’s office and give permission for her to spank me ... I’m a well-rounded individual with a lot of character, so I think it’s fine."

Kelly, 35, also disclosed that she warns her daughter before a spanking: "I’m like, ‘Hi, I’m going to spank you on the bottom if you don’t stop right now, this is ridiculous,’ and honestly it’s really helped. She doesn’t do that kind of stuff as often."

Many on social media, however, don't agree with her parenting methods.

"Wish she would do some research making public ignorant comments. Spanking teaches violence," one user posted on Facebook. Another added: "I never spanked my kids. I think it’s lazy parenting."

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, caretakers should "not spank or use physical punishments" when disciplining children as "that only teaches aggressive behavior, and it becomes ineffective if used often." Instead, timeouts and "temporarily removing favorite privileges" should be used instead.

The "Voice" judge, who shares 21-month-old son Remy with husband Brandon Blackstock, isn't the first celebrity mom to garner criticism. Jessica Simpson sparked controversy after she posted a photograph of her 5-year-old daughter Maxwell putting on makeup.

For more on Kelly Clarkson's spanking scandal, watch the video above.