Pranksters can't have it easy anymore, at least on YouTube

YouTube has revised its community guidelines following which it can take action against videos that encourage dangerous challenges and pranks. Although YouTube acknowledges it has become home to many viral challenges and pranks over the last few years, YouTube wants to ensure these acts don't turn out to be harmful or dangerous. With an aim to strengthen its community guidelines, YouTube has taken a stand against challenges and prank videos like never before. "We’ve updated our external guidelines to make it clear that we prohibit challenges presenting a risk of serious danger or death, and pranks that make victims believe they’re in serious physical danger, or cause children to experience severe emotional distress," reads YouTube's updated support page. According to YouTube, deadly challenges like the Tide pod challenge or the Fire challenge are no longer allowed on the platform. Additionally, pranks posing a physical danger, for example, home invasion prank or a drive-by shooting prank, are no longer allowed. In addition to pranks involving physical danger, YouTube's ban hammer will also start falling on videos that cause children severe emotional distress. Also Read | Anupam Kher questions YouTube, posts screenshots showing 'The Accidental Prime Minister' trailer not appearing when searched "We also don’t allow pranks that cause children to experience severe emotional distress, meaning something so bad that it could leave the child traumatized for life." YouTube worked with child psychologists to introduce these new community guidelines and put an end to challenges and pranks that cross the line, including fake death of a parent, abandonment, shaming for mistakes etc. During the next two months, YouTube will remove prank and challenge videos that violate the new community guidelines but channels won't receive a strike. However, content creators can appeal the strike if they feel their video comply with the community guidelines. It may still remove videos uploaded prior to these enforcement updates.

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Pranksters can't have it easy anymore, at least on YouTube

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