David Beckham is “glad” social media didn’t exist during his football days

Soccer star David Beckham touched on the dangers of social media and how his family deals with online bullying in a conversation with CNBC’s Tanya Breyer 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 looked back on his football career, which spanned from 1992 to 2013, and how he handled the pressure of being sent off during a match.

“I’m so glad social media didn’t exist back then, because it was bad enough back then,” Beckham said. “It was bad enough that people were telling me.”

Beckham and his wife, Victoria, have four children, who he says face enormous pressure from social media. The eldest Beckham, Brooklyn, is 25 years old, and the youngest, Harper, is 13.

The former footballer said his daughter does not use any social media platforms, adding that “we will keep it that way for a while”, but his sons have prominent social media accounts.

“They’re all being messaged by people and they’re all sitting down with me and Victoria and saying, ‘What should we do with this dad?’ Even though you turn to them and say, “Don’t read this,” we’re all drawn to it, and it’s not just kids. it’s with adults,” he said.

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

Beckham, who has more than 88 million followers on Instagram, said he feels responsible for his content and that there is a “real thought” behind every post.

“There’s the odd post that’s obviously commercial, but I look at every post, every caption, because I think it’s important,” he said.

“With that kind of social media following it’s a big responsibility, social media has bad parts and good parts. What we’re trying to do with my followers and my social media platform is use it to our advantage,” he added.

Beckham, a first-time visitor to the WEF, received Monday Crystal Award — which recognizes “cultural leaders who have made significant contributions to the advancement of social, environmental and creative progress” — for his work to protect vulnerable children. Since 2005, he has been a goodwill ambassador of UNICEF.