Chris Hemsworth and wife Elsa called out for birthday prank on son

The prank was labelled 'violent'

Chris Hemsworth has been slammed online following a prank he and his wife Elsa Pataky played on their twin sons for their birthday.

The couple shared a glimpse into their private lives over the weekend as they celebrated their sons' ninth birthday bute many weren't happy about one pranked pulled.

Posting a photo from the celebrations on Instagram, it showed Elsa pushing one of her sons' faces into a chocolate birthday cake.

The Hollywood actor captioned the snap: "Happy 9th birthday to my two little men!

"Only one way to eat cake in this house and that’s to have mum slam your head into it face first!!

"'Hey mum I don’t like chocolate cake I prefer vanilla' 'oh really son, what about now'? @elsapataky".

While a lot of his followers saw the funny side to the photo, others criticised Chris and Elsa for their actions.

One person said: "Why people smash their kids face in the cake is above my understanding but whatever."

Another said: "Not funny to do that let alone her own mom. A little girl lost an eye to that same 'grace' because in her cake there was a bamboo stick holding her. They don't promote such jokes."

A third wrote: "I don't find this funny. It's almost violent.. hit, push, dirt, put down..."

Others defended the couple, seeing it as a clear joke, saying: "Great way to eat cake! I need to give it a try."

Another said: "It's one of the simple pleasures of motherhood!!"

While a third added: "Happy, Happy Birthday!! Awesome family!!! It was obviously very much enjoyed!"

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