Parents “prank” their children with a false promise of a trip to Disneyland, then publish videos of them crying online after the truth is revealed. A man “pranks” his girlfriend by pushing her into a river, or cracking an egg on her face, and builds a following from it. Last month, police had to issue warnings to young people not to “prank” each other with claims their homes had been broken into, using AI-generated pictures to bolster the lies.

Line-crossing behaviour hit the headlines last week when a reported “prankster” invaded the red carpet at the Asian premiere of blockbuster movie Wicked: For Good. Technically it was a yellow carpet, in line with the colour scheme of the Wizard of Oz spin-off, and the moment gained traction because of the reaction of the film’s two leading ladies.

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