“Ballerina Cappuccina” fuels violence… and spreads offensive connotations in the minds of children

Parents have warned of the repercussions of a digital game that is spreading widely across social media platforms, most notably “Tik Tok,” known as “Ballerina Cappuccina,” stressing that it is marketed to children within an attractive entertainment framework, while containing hidden contents that include inappropriate suggestions, scenes of violence, and disturbing behavioral patterns that are not consistent with their ages and the requirements of the child’s sound psychological and educational development.

Specialists in mental health, education, and law told Emirates Al-Youm that the danger of this game lies not only in its apparent form, but in the behavioral and psychological messages that it gradually passes to children, which may negatively affect their value system and psychological balance, and requires urgent family and community oversight, in addition to legislative intervention that keeps pace with the acceleration of digital content directed at young people.

In detail, Manal F., a mother of a third-grade primary school student, expressed her concern about the spread of the game, and said: “At first I thought the content was cartoonish and innocent, but I noticed my daughter repeating strange phrases and imitating inappropriate movements, and when she continued what she was watching, she discovered clips from (Ballerina Cappuccina) that carried suggestions that were not appropriate for her age.”

The guardian of Sameh Burhan, a middle school student, confirmed that the effects of the game resulted in aggressive behavior in his son, explaining that “after a period of watching these clips, he became more nervous while playing, and imitated scenes of violence he had seen on the phone, which led me to delete the game and tighten control over his use of smart devices.”

Sarah Murad, a mother of two children, called for raising the level of community awareness through the media, and said: “Many parents do not realize the danger of this type of content, because its outward appearance is misleading. We need media and educational awareness to protect our children before the problem gets worse.”

Unofficial game

Mental health consultant Dr. Iman Muhammad told Emirates Today that “Ballerina Cappuccina” does not originate in a single official approved game, but rather in a modern digital phenomenon that appeared in early 2025 as part of a wave of absurd content that spread through “Tik Tok,” relying on illogical fictional characters that were promoted using artificial intelligence techniques, before turning into unofficial video clips and games on some digital platforms, without clear controls or strict age control.

She indicated that this type of content mainly targets children and teenagers, especially the age groups between eight and 14 years, taking advantage of the cartoonish nature, attractive colors, and fast pace, noting that some of the copies circulating carry misleading age classifications, or do not carry any classification at all, despite containing content that is not appropriate for this age group.

She pointed out that “Ballerina Cappuccina” achieved widespread popularity in the United States and a number of European and Asian countries, before quickly moving to the Arab region via social media platforms, taking advantage of the translingual nature of the content, which facilitated its access to children inside homes without the knowledge or direct control of parents.

She stressed that the danger of this phenomenon does not lie in its apparent form or name, but rather in the implicit messages that it passes, which may contribute to distorting children’s moral concepts, and accustoming them to accepting violence or wrong behaviors as something normal or entertaining, which may reflect negatively on their behavior within the family and school.

Psychological and educational danger

Consultant child psychiatrist, Dr. Amani bin Hamdan, said that this type of content “constitutes a real psychological danger, because it passes indirect messages to the child at a stage in which he does not have the ability to discriminate or criticize,” explaining that repeated exposure to scenes of violence or suggestions may lead to “behavioral disorders, increased anxiety, poor concentration, and the normalization of aggressive behavior.”

Educational and family advisor, Omaima Hussein, stressed that the first line of defense for protecting children in the digital space begins with the family, by activating parental control, strengthening digital protection tools, and regulating screen time, in addition to opening channels of conscious dialogue with children and directing them towards safe and purposeful digital alternatives, stressing that this shared responsibility can no longer tolerate postponement, explaining that raising the level of societal and educational awareness has become an urgent necessity to confront this type of content, before it leaves profound negative effects on children’s behavior. and their value system.

Age classification

The legal advisor, Maha Al Jasmi, confirmed that the spread of digital content such as “Ballerina Cappuccina” raises fundamental questions about the responsibility of digital platforms in protecting children from inappropriate materials, noting that national legislation and international conventions, most notably the principles of child protection in the digital space, oblige these platforms to impose strict controls on content directed to minors, apply accurate age classification systems, and limit the automatic recommendation of harmful content.

Al Jasmi explained that merely providing formal age alerts does not absolve platforms of their moral and legal responsibility, especially in cases where the content is proven to contain scenes of violence, inappropriate suggestions, or behaviors that reach children easily through digital algorithms.

It called on the competent authorities to coordinate with educational institutions to limit the spread of these growing digital phenomena.

She stressed that protecting children in the digital age requires real integration between the roles of the family, educational institutions, legislative bodies, and social media platforms, warning that laxity in controlling content may open the door to profound psychological and behavioral repercussions that will be difficult to contain later.