David Beckham sparked controversy after a video surfaced of him attempting to kiss his 13-year-old daughter, Harper Seven, on the lips.
The football star attended the launch of his bodywear collection with Hugo Boss alongside his wife, Victoria, and three of their children: Harper, Cruz, and Romeo.
At the London event, the proud dad was filmed trying to kiss his daughter on the dance floor. Appearing embarrassed, Harper leaned away, turning her face so that he kissed her cheek instead.
The playful moment, captured in a clip shared by Paris Match on January 30, has recently become the subject of heated debate.
David Beckham stirred debate after a video showed him attempting to kiss his thirteen-year-old daughter, Harper
Image credits: Karwai Tang/WireImage
“What’s he doing? That’s his daughter,” commented a scandalized TikTok user.
“Your thoughts are the problem, not his actions,” another responded.
“Why the hell is he doing that?” someone else wrote, while a separate user stated, “He is sick.”
“Showing affection to his daughter, and if you look at it any other way, you’re the problem; maybe you need your hard drive checked,” commented another netizen, defending David’s display of parental love.
Another critic noted: “That’s weird. Her reaction speaks volumes and seems to agree with me and not you.”
“Seriously though, I do think there is an appropriate age that parents should stop kissing their children on the lips,” they added. “She looks about 16, so that’s too old in my opinion.”
This is not the first time that the Inter Miami co-founder has faced criticism for kissing his children on the lips.
He directly addressed the negative remarks in 2017 after facing backlash over a photo of him kissing Harper, who was five at the time.
“We want to show our kids love,” he said, as quoted by BBC.
“I got criticized for kissing my daughter on the lips the other day. I kiss all my kids on the lips.
“Brooklyn, maybe not. Brooklyn’s 18, he might find that a little bit strange,” he continued.
The proud dad pouted his lips as he leaned toward his daughter, who turned her face, dodging the kiss
“But I’m very affectionate with the kids. It’s how I was brought up and Victoria, and it’s how we are with our children. We want to show our kids love and we protect them, look after them, and support them, and you know, we’re very affectionate with them.”
Victoria was also criticized for posting a picture of herself kissing their daughter on the lips in 2016, as per the British broadcaster.
In June 2024, the former Manchester United player made headlines after people deemed the way he was holding the pre-teen inappropriate.
Harper was in attendance with her father as she watched Inter Miami play against St. Louis City SC in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
At the event, David showed his fatherly love by hugging his daughter and wrapping his arms around her waist.
@parismatch #davidbeckham #harperbeckham #boss #londres #fatheranddaugther #harper #beckham ♬ Way down We Go – KALEO
“Cringeworthy pictures… she looks about 18, it looks totally inappropriate,” one observer penned.
“Thought they were a couple,” another added.
The former England captain recently shared his hopes for Harper to have “the same opportunities” as her three older brothers in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
David has sparked controversy before for his displays of fatherly affection toward Harper
Image credits: davidbeckham
“I want my daughter Harper to have the same opportunities as her brothers and that should be the case for all girls everywhere,” he said after being recognized as a cultural leader, as per Sky News.
“I’m lucky enough to be a father of three boys and one beautiful girl. I want Harper to grow up in a world where being a girl doesn’t determine what you can do, where you can go, or who you can become.”
For Harper’s thirteenth birthday, the former England captain shared a post gushing over his “generous & beautiful young lady”
He also expressed love for his only daughter in an adorable video posted on Instagram for her thirteenth birthday.
The video, set to Bruno Mars’ Just The Way You Are, featured a compilation of photos and clips of Harper through the years, from taking her first steps as a baby to riding a bike, playing soccer with her dad and attending fashion shows with Victoria.
“I’m very affectionate with the kids. It’s how I was brought up,” the 49-year-old previously said in response to the criticism
“Happy 13th Birthday to my beautiful little girl 🩷 Daddy is so proud of you , you have grown up to be a kind, generous & a beautiful young lady with the most amazing heart & the most amazing smile that we all love so so much 🩷” he wrote.
“Always be the beautiful person that you are 🩷 Harper Seven your my world.”
The video continued to spark debate over the appropriateness of parents kissing their children on the mouth
