A primary school in the UK has banned its students from doing the popular "floss" dance, due to its association with a "violent and addictive" video game.

The administration at Ilfracombe Junior School in Devon recently sent a notice home to parents explaining that dance moves from video game Fortnite had been used in a gang-like way in the schoolyard to "surround and intimidate" children.

"We want our school to be one in which human beings treat each other with kindness and appreciation," wrote head teacher Catherine Cox in the letter to parents.

"Fortnite is about mass killing of other human beings and being awarded by a dance of celebration if you are successful," she continued, adding that one of the moves is referred to as "the Nazi dance".

"Children in our school have been using these dances to surround and intimidate other children," she revealed.

The teacher believes that "Fortnite is affecting children's learning and behaviour…causing children to show obsessive and overactive behaviour.

"Fortnite is extremely addictive and playing violent games is associated with real life aggressive behaviour and mental health issues. Fortnite is a safeguarding concern and will be logged as such."

Noting that the game is targeted at children over the age of 12, Cox compared it to other violent video games that also have misogynistic undertones.

"This will be the same for children whose parents allow them to play games such as Grand Theft Auto, which is not only violent but treats other humans, especially females, with total disregard," she wrote.

As an alternative to gaming, Cox provided suggestions as to how kids and parents should be spending their free time.

"Spend time with your children and enjoy their company - this is what matters most. Enjoy books together, cook together, shop together, build a den, camp out, go for a walk, explore the rock pools, draw, paint, talk, ask questions, find out about the world and learn new things," she advised.

In response to the note, dozens of parents took to social media to complain about what they saw as a "ridiculous ban" on the dance.

"My child is 8, she doesn't even know what the Fortnite game is! She just likes to dance! She's even taught me how to do it," one parent posted to the Facebook group Gossip Around Ilfracombe.

"I find this absolutely ludicrous that my child now feels this way about a daft dance move. Children should not come home from school feeling like this. I'm flabbergasted," they added.

The post attracted plenty of comments from other parents regarding the issue.

"Bullying is rife in all schools, blaming it on a game/dance/parents is just another poor excuse," someone wrote.

Another said: "If kids are using the dances to intimidate kids (sounds ridiculous to me) then banning the dance doesn’t help. They will use something else."

Others disagreed with the outrage over the letter, arguing that it's the school's duty of care to address bullying and do what they can to eliminate it.

"I had no idea it was connected to the game and kids are using it to bully other kids. I can see the schools point now. But they need to explain it to the kids too," read a comment.

"I understand that yes, it is just a dance. They must have a really good reason for installing the ban," said another.

"Each child is different and reacts differently to certain situations. It’s a debate that certainly needs talking about and gaming addiction really needs to be addressed publicly," added the concerned parent.

The "floss" dance initially gained momentum from an innocent YouTuber known as Backpack Kid, who reached mainstream fame after being scouted by singer Katy Perry, who asked him to perform with her on the popular TV show Saturday Night Live.

Backpack Kid stole the show, and soon everyone was trying to emulate his bizarre, robotic dance moves, including the animated characters in the Fortnight video game.

Russell Horning Joins Katy Perry on 'Swish Swish'.

Addressing the controversy caused by the letter, Jody Le Bredonchel, assistant head teacher at Ilfracombe Junior School, clarified Ms. Cox's points and confirmed that the students had also been appropriately briefed on the matter.

"In our school, a few incidents have taken place at lunchtime whereby pupils have been upset by some unpleasant dances," she told DevonLive, adding that there have been further concerns over the game due to a "chat feature which cannot be disabled whereby children can be contacted online by strangers.

"Our main priority is the safeguarding and well-being of the children and this caused us to speak with all the pupils and reinforce our expectations," she continued.

Noting that other schools "have taken a similar approach," regarding the dance, she said that Ilfracombe Junior School understands that "some parents have a different opinion and this has caused quite a reaction on social media.

"We have however had many positive comments from parents who have appreciated the guidance we have given and have said that it has helped them to reinforce their expectations at home in the face of quite a lot of peer pressure for children to play the game," she added.

"Our intention has always been to keep the children safe and their well-being is our main priority and we would urge any parents who have concerns to contact us directly."

Elsewhere around the world, the dance craze has been embraced by parents and teachers, with countless videos being shared online from homes and classrooms featuring children teaching adults the dance.

Like all trends, flossing will eventually have an expiration date. Considering the previous popularity of fidget spinners, planking and the dab, expect to see the floss die out in due time.

Until then, love it or hate it, it's likely going to linger until the next craze sweeps through.