“Funniest pranks of 2024!!” is the title of a Youtube video that has garnered over five million views. It seems harmless from the title and thumbnail, but upon opening the video, the pranks in question range from cheating on a partner to calling SWAT on someone’s home. It is all fun and games until someone gets hurt—just kidding! After someone gets hurt, it is still fun and games. Or at least, that is according to pranksters across internet platforms. But this behavior begs the question: how far is too far? 

With April Fools Day approaching, many people feel as though it is acceptable to inflict emotional distress upon one another in the name of “fun.” However, there is a distinction to be made between teasing–or pranking–and bullying. Where to draw the line has been a topic of discussion for many years, with internet analysts picking apart cruel pranks that were executed for views and creating a winding boundary with many exceptions. However, there is a much simpler answer to this dilemma. It may seem so obvious that it is not even worth saying, but it is: if someone is going to get hurt, do not do it.

Oxford Dictionary defines teasing as “intended to provoke or make fun of someone in a playful way.” Interestingly enough, Oxford furthers that teasing is without the intent of doing harm. In the context of a prank, it means something lighthearted, laughable, and has no long-lasting negative effect. Under this definition, it should be pretty obvious that crashing someone’s car is not a good example of teasing. 

Contrarily, bullying is mean-spirited and carries the explicit intention of inflicting emotional or physical harm. A harmless April Fools prank can easily cross the line into bullying the moment it becomes centered around humiliation or makes the prankee feel unsafe. While this does not mean that pranks should be socially unacceptable, the distinction is to encourage self-awareness when executing pranks and avoid genuine distress. 

Here is an easy example: there is a homeless person next to a McDonalds, and it happens to be April Fools Day. Do you A.) mind your own business, B.) decide to get lunch elsewhere, or C.) ask the homeless person what they want to eat from McDonalds, buy the food, and then eat it in front of them? If you said anything but answer C, congratulations! You are officially not a sociopath (or a youtuber). The perpetuation of these cruel pranks stems from more than just individuals. With videos enacting scenarios like the one above garnering millions of views, it becomes motivation to be cruel towards others for clicks. It is important to not support cruelty, no matter how hard it is to look away. 

April Fools is meant to be fun and silly, not upsetting. No one likes being a victim, so follow the golden rule and treat others the way you wish to be treated. Being aware of intentions and considering others feelings makes judgement a lot easier. Utilizing empathy is a great way to avoid blowing up someone’s house and posting it on social media in a video titled, “April Fools gone wrong!!”