News

17 June 2025

The Ombudsman Institution sent a letter to the Minister of Education Krasimir Valchev, the Chair of the State Agency for Child Protection Teodora Ivanova, the Executive Director of the Cyber Security Directorate at the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime at the Ministry of Interior Vladimir Dimitrov, and the Parents Association, in which it warned about dangerous computer viruses that are spreading in schools. The letter was also sent to the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Justice.

 The reason for this is a report from concerned parents who are worried about a new trend among students—a game that simulates cocaine use and its effects. It is spreading online, and a subscription costs 84 leva. Parents report that the game contains messages such as “Experience the thrill of being a cocaine dealer 27/7. Send children out on the streets to sell, get arrested, and possibly killed, while you collect the profits.” In the game, each child must prepare cocaine doses to sell.

“Psychologists report that they are already encountering children and students who have been influenced by such content. In the context of the specificities of child development, this becomes a model that they follow, even unconsciously,” writes Dr. Aysun Avdjiev, Secretary General of the Ombudsman Institution, to the competent authorities.

He adds that, according to international sources, similar games such as “Drug Dealer Simulator,” “Cocaine Dealer,” and “Schedule I” are available on various platforms, including Steam, and have gained significant popularity in recent years.

“We are confident that measures to improve students' civic and digital literacy and to include digital safety issues in conversations with parents can be expanded in the field of education. We believe that the Parents Association, as a member of the Public Council for Safe Internet, will raise awareness of this issue through the safe internet hotline, after which concrete steps can be proposed. The State Agency for Child Protection, as the state body responsible for guiding, coordinating, and monitoring policies for children, can organize various initiatives, seeking the support of the Agency's Children's Council,” writes Dr. Avdjiev.

He further emphasizes that despite the publicly stated position that “this is perhaps a moral issue related to parental responsibility and control,” according to the Ombudsman Institution, the Cyber Security Directorate of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime has the expert capacity and competence to recommend possible actions to protect children and young people.

“We believe that it is imperative to quickly monitor the internet for the distribution and search for both this and similar games that encourage children to engage in illegal activities,” said Aysun Avdjiev.