Beckham: "It Was Lucky There Was No SNS During My Playing Days... Bullying Was Severe"

by Lim Juhyeong

Published 23 Jan.2025 17:58(KST)

Updated 23 Jan.2025 17:59(KST)

Pointing Out the Problem of "Bullying" on Social Networking Services

David Beckham, a world-renowned football star from the England Premier League (EPL), attended the World Economic Forum (WEF·Davos Forum) held in Davos, Switzerland, where he emphasized the dangers of social networking services (SNS).

Football star David Beckham attending the World Economic Forum (WEF). Photo by WEF YouTube capture.

On the 22nd (local time), Beckham reflected on his career from 1992 to 2013 during an interview with CNBC at the Davos Forum and revealed how he overcame the pressure when he was sent off during a match. Having played in the British professional football scene, he is currently the co-owner and chairman of the American soccer club 'Inter Miami.'

Beckham recalled, "It was really fortunate that SNS did not exist back then," adding, "Just the words people said to me were enough to make me feel bad." This implies that if SNS had been active at that time, he would not have been able to withstand the flood of criticism from the public.

He also mentioned that his children are stressed due to SNS. Married to Victoria Beckham, a former member of the Spice Girls, he has three sons and one daughter; his eldest son Brooklyn is 25 years old, and his youngest daughter Harper is 13. Beckham emphasized, "My daughter currently does not use any SNS platforms," adding, "We will keep it that way for the time being." However, all of his sons have SNS accounts.

He expressed concern, saying, "When other people send messages to the kids, they ask me and Victoria how to handle them," and added, "Even if we tell the kids 'don't read it,' won't they read everything? That's where the problem lies." He continued, "We are all too drawn to SNS," and pointed out, "But there is too much bullying happening. It happens not only to children but also to adults."

Beckham stressed, "Unfortunately, we live in a culture where bullying is accepted," and said, "This culture should never be accepted. I believe companies operating SNS platforms have a real responsibility to protect people from bullying."

The football star Beckham also boasts enormous influence on major SNS platforms such as Instagram. Currently, his Instagram account has 88 million followers. He added, "Having many SNS followers comes with huge responsibility," and said, "SNS has its bad and unpleasant sides, but I try to use my platform for good."

This is Beckham's first time attending the Davos Forum. Having served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2005, he was previously awarded the Crystal Award on the forum's opening day in recognition of his efforts to protect marginalized children.