Sia has apologised for anyone who felt "triggered" by her latest music video.
The Australian star's new track is called 'Elastic Heart', and the promo has caused uproar online.
It features Shia LaBeouf, 28, and 12-year-old Dance Moms star Maddie Ziegler, with the pair seen wrestling and fighting inside a cage.
Shia wears just a pair of flesh-coloured boxer shorts which are covered in dirt and Maddie is in a leotard of the same colour, with many insisting the footage is inappropriate due to the age difference.
"I anticipated some 'pedophelia!!!' cries for this video. All I can say is Maddie and Shia are two of the only actors I felt could play these two warring 'Sia' self states," Sia wrote on Twitter.
"I apologise to those who feel triggered by #ElasticHeart My intention was to create some emotional content, not to upset anybody."
A 14-second clip of the video was released on Tuesday and immediately sent social media sites into meltdown. It showed Shia standing on one side of the cage with Maddie, in a blonde wig, facing him on the other.
One Twitter user claimed the actor looked like a "child predator" in the clip, while YouTube commenters suggested it was "too sexual" to be a music video.
Sia, 39, directed the short film, which lasts for five minutes and was debuted in full yesterday, and had help from Daniel Askill. The pair have teamed up before, making the promos for her tracks 'Breathe Me' and 'Chandelier'.
It seems the singer is proud of the release, as earlier this month she praised both Shia and Maddie openly. Sia used Twitter to send the two stars messages, saying she loved them.
Maddie's also seemingly happy with the promo, as she tweeted a link to the teaser on Tuesday.
"Can't wait for you all to see the new video by @sia tomorrow! Check out this teaser," she wrote.
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source: newshub archive
