By Rebecca Lewis

Copyright hellomagazine

Harper Beckham has marked a major milestone moment by announcing her own social media page. The teen is already verified but has kept her account private, and currently only follows 45 people, with 30 followers. Her profile reads: “Yours truly,” with emojis, and the words: “Your fav Blonde, LDN / L.A. / MIAMI.” The 14-year-old is followed by her mom and dad, Victoria and David Beckham, and older brothers Cruz and Romeo Beckham. It does not appear that her oldest brother Brooklyn follows her, and the accounts Harper chose to follow are not yet public.

Her Story was shared publicly by her mom, fashion designer Victoria, and it featured the mother-and-daughter duo posing for a selfie with the pair both making kissing faces. Victoria reshared the Story, adding a caption that read: “Kisses,” and included Harper’s handle. Harper’s profile picture is a black-and-white picture of her posing with her hands on the side of her head. Harper, 14, is the Beckham’s youngest, and their only daughter.

She has an incredibly close relationship with her parents, and her father calls her his “pretty lady”. Now that she has entered her teen years, things are changing with David recently sharing that although he still makes Harper’s school lunches, he is more aware of the opportunities to embarrass the teen. Taking to his Instagram account, the dad-of-four posted a picture of the salad he had made and in the centre was a red pepper cut into the shape of a love heart. “I made this salad for Harper’s school snack today. Hope she doesn’t find the [heart] embarrassing now she is 14,” he wrote.

Much has been made of if Harper will follow in her parents entrepreneurial footsteps, and earlier this summer, she may have subtly soft-launched her future brand in a photo from a family holiday to Italy. Snuggling up on their $20 million superyacht, Harper and Victoria rocked white hoodies emblazoned with the word “seven” written in a robotic black font. Seven is Harper’s middle name, and was David Beckham’s number on his England shirt; Seven is also the name of the giant vessel, so while the jumpers could be yacht merchandise, it could be a hint at wider plans for Harper.

There are already two businesses that have been opened using her iconic middle name – Harper Seven Ltd and Harper Seven Beckham Ltd. Last year, it was also reported that Victoria has an incorporated business called H7B Limited.

Teens are legally allowed to join Instagram at the age of 13, and all teen accounts are automatically set to the “See less sensitive content” option. In 2024 Tara Hopkins, Meta’s Global Director for Public Policy, told HELLO! that it was important to allow your children to access social media as it can provide “a great place for self-expression and connecting with friends” She added: “We always love hearing from teenagers who have used Instagram to explore different hobbies and interests or meet friends who are into the same things as them and connect with like-minded people.”

But it is also incredibly important that parents keep talking to their children about the dangers of online abuse. “It’s important to start having these conversations early – I really encourage parents to start having these conversations well before their child even has their first phone. I also try and put myself in their shoes. I remember the difficult conversations I had with my parents growing up so listening to them and what they want is really important,” said Tara.

In the UK, a recent study conducted by Outdoor Toys found that five to 12-year-olds are spending at least three hours a day on screens, exceeding the recommended daily limit of two hours proposed by Ofcom and the NHS. While it can be hard to get your tweens and teens off their tablets or phones, there is no argument that it benefits all of us to set reminders to step away from the internet.

“Excessive screen use can limit real-world interaction, physical activity and imaginative play – all of which are crucial for healthy development,” Natalie Bell, nature play specialist at evergreenexploring.org, told HELLO!

Although the nights are getting darker for those of us in the northern hemisphere, there are still numerous ways to encourage children to manage their own screentime, and HELLO! created a helpful list here.