David Beckham ‘glad’ social media didn’t exist during his football days

Soccer star David Beckham addressed the dangers of social media and how his family deals with online harassment in a conversation with CNBC host Tania Bryer at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday.

The 49-year-old president and co-owner of American soccer club Inter Miami CF recalled his soccer career, which lasted from 1992 to 2013, and how he dealt with the pressure of being sent off during a match.

“I’m really glad social media didn’t exist back then because it was bad enough,” Beckham said. “It was bad enough what people told me.”

Beckham and his wife Victoria have four children, who he said face immense pressure from social media. Beckham’s oldest, Brooklyn, is 25 years old and his youngest, Harper, is 13.

The former soccer player said his daughter is not on any social media platforms, adding that “we’re going to continue like this for a while,” but his children have notable social media accounts.

“They all have people messaging them and they all sit down with me and Victoria and say ‘How do we deal with this dad?’ “As much as you turn to them and say, ‘Don’t read it,’ we all read it. That’s the problem. We’re all drawn to it and there’s too much bullying and it’s not just with adults,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we live in a culture where harassment seems to be accepted and should never be accepted. So I think social media platforms have a real responsibility to protect people from that.”

Beckham, who has more than 88 million followers on Instagram, said he feels a sense of responsibility for his content and that each post has “real thought” behind it.

“The odd publication comes out that is obviously a trade publication, but I review every publication, every title because I think it’s important,” he said.

“With a following like that on social media, there is a lot of responsibility, and there are bad parts to social media and good parts to social media. What we try to do with my followers and my social media platform is use them for good. “he added.

Beckham, who is attending the WEF for the first time, received the crystal award – which recognizes “cultural leaders who have made significant contributions to promoting social, environmental and creative progress” – for their work protecting vulnerable children. He has been a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 2005.