David Beckham sparks parenting debate with Instagram photo showing him kissing daughter on lips

The Instagram photo has been described as 'weird' and 'beautiful'

David Beckham shared the family holiday photo on Instagram (Instagram/DavidBeckham )

David Beckham has sparked a debate about the appropriate level of affection for parents to show their children after he shared a photo of him kissing his daughter on the lips.

The Instagram post shared on 1 June shows the former footballer and father of four kissing his five-year-old daughter Harper Beckham during a trip believed to be to Tanzania. The caption beneath the image reads ‘kiss for Daddy’ beside a heart emoji.

The photo was liked by almost 2million Instagram users, however it sparked an intense debate about whether parents should kiss their children on the lips.

“David, to kiss lips of your daughter that's wrong,” wrote one user.

“To be honest kissing your daughter on the lips is a little weird,” said another.

But users were also keen to defend Beckham for showing affection to his young child.

“A father having a bond with his child is nothing less than beautiful,” a user said in praise of the former England player.

“There's something very sick that people see anything other than pure & beautiful love between a parent and child kissing on the lips what a sad world we live in!” another user argued.

The criticism comes after his wife and fashion designer Victoria Beckham caused a similar debate after sharing a photo of herself kissing Harper on the lips in the summer of 2016, on her fifth birthday.

“Happy Birthday baby girl,” wrote the 42-year-old in the caption. “We all love you so much X @davidbeckham @brooklynbeckham kisses from mummy X” the caption to the photo read.

Neither David nor Victoria have responded to either backlash.