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David Beckham after podcast recording during Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland Alamy Stock Photo
Let Them Theory
David Beckham says parents must let their children ‘make mistakes’ on social media
In an interview at Davos, David Beckham was asked about how children should navigate social media.
DAVID BECKHAM HAS said parents must let their children “make mistakes” on social media, a day after his eldest son Brooklyn exposed their family feud in an explosive Instagram post.
Brooklyn last night made a host of claims regarding Beckham and his wife, singer and fashion designer Victoria Beckham, which included that his parents control narratives about his family in the press and tried to “ruin” his relationship with his wife Nicola Peltz Beckham.
The lengthy Instagram post by Brooklyn seemed to confirm the rumours that have swirled since Brooklyn’s wedding to the daughter of US billionaire Nelson Peltz in 2022.
The former England football captain did not answer when asked questions about Brooklyn during his public appearance in Davos, Switzerland where he also recorded a podcast with US popular science author Adam Grant at the World Economic Forum.
David Beckham is in Davos - Sky's @pkelso took the chance to ask about his son's recent Instagram post.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 20, 2026
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham broke his silence about his estrangement from his parents, saying he does not want to reconcile with his family.https://t.co/MYS7eu1QHb pic.twitter.com/AN8W8qaM7g
However, Beckham did make remarks to CNBC’s Squawk Box from Davos about the role of social media in young people’s lives amid the family feud.
Beckham was asked about how children who grow up with social media can navigate it “from a mental health perspective”.
“I’ve always spoke about social media and the power of social media for the good and for the bad,” said Beckham.
“It can be dangerous, but what I’ve found personally, especially with my kids as well: Use it for the right reasons.
“I’ve been able to use my platform and my following for UNICEF and it’s been the biggest tool to make people aware of what’s going on around the world for children.
David Beckham speaks out after his son Brooklyn accused his parents of pushing “controlled narratives in the press” about their family.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) January 20, 2026
“They make mistakes. Children are allowed to make mistakes, that’s how they learn.“ pic.twitter.com/T7tppM1ZOr
“I’ve tried to do the same with my children to educate them.
“They make mistakes… Children are allowed to make mistakes, that’s how they learn.
“So that’s what I try to teach my kids. But you know, you have to sometimes let them make those mistakes as well.”
In his string of posts to Instagram yesterday, Brooklyn said he does not want to “reconcile” with his family.
He also claimed that his parents have “been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship” with Nicola Peltz Beckham and that Victoria Beckham “cancelled making Nicola’s [wedding] dress in the eleventh hour”.
He added: “I’ve received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders.”
The other members of the Beckham family have not responded but have shared promotional posts for Cruz’s first music gig at the Courtyard Theatre in east London.
-With additional reporting from Press Association
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