'Creepy' footage of Joe Biden with young girl sparks heated debate

A video of Joe Biden giving a young girl unsolicited dating advice has sparked a fierce debate online, with some slamming his behaviour as “creepy”.

Footage of the US president posing for a photo with the girl — who appears to be a teenager — after speaking at a community college in California on Friday has been viewed almost five million times since being uploaded to Twitter by reporter Kalen D’Almeida.

In the clip, Biden can be seen smiling while standing behind the girl and an older woman taking a selfie with her mobile phone.

“Now a very important thing I told my daughters and granddaughters — no serious guys until you’re 30,” he says while placing his hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“Ok. I’ll keep that in mind,” she responds while nervously laughing.

The president then repeats his advice to the woman who appears to be accompanying the teen.

“At least!” she agrees.

In Mr D’Almeida's Twitter caption, he claims Biden “grabbed” the girl, who “looks back appearing uncomfortable”.

He also claims the president’s secret service team tried to stop him from filming the moment.

Viewers divided over 'uncomfortable' moment

The video has been inundated with thousands of comments, triggering a heated debate among viewers.

While many said they found Biden’s actions “creepy” and “uncomfortable”, numerous others were quick to defend the 79-year-old, saying he is a “grandfather figure”.

“Check out the initial reaction on the face of that young girl. A picture is worth a thousand words,” one Twitter user said.

“Lord almighty, that’s so disturbing!” another criticised.

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Others insisted the incident had been “blown way out of proportion”.

“Any young adult gets embarrassed/awkward when talking about things like dating. He’s from an older generation, I don’t see the problem with a hand on a shoulder,” a woman said.

“She doesn't appear uncomfortable at all — that's just you projecting,” someone else agreed.

Biden gave the same dating advice to a group of eight-year-old girls at a primary school in March, the Daily Mail reports.

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