56 million views on YouTube and counting. But now these Aussies have crossed a line.

By LUCY ORMONDE

Have you heard of the Janoskians?

I’ve always thought they were childish. A few boys having fun. Not my thing – but not doing any harm.

I’ve changed my mind.

They describe themselves as “boy band One Direction without the singing”.

They’re five teenagers from Melbourne – three brothers Jai, Luke and Beau and their friends James and Danie – all between the ages of 16 and 19.

They’re known for their pranks. Their videos have been viewed more than 56 million times on YouTube and they have even appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show.

I’ve always thought of them as silly but innocent. A few boys from the suburbs of Melbourne who hit that YouTube jackpot and rode the Internet Fame Train after their homemade videos went viral.

Their latest video is called ‘public wanking’ (charming, huh?) and in it, the five boys walk around a Danish shopping centre, lying on the ground, dropping their pants and pretending to masturbate under a while towel.

We’ve made a decision not to show the video but if you really want to you can view it here.

“Today, we’re in Denmark and we’re filming a public video because we can,” they say at the beginning of the four-and-a-half-minute video that’s already been viewed more than 100,000 times.

It’s lewd, inappropriate and entering into extremely dangerous territory.

In one scene a boy lies at the bottom of an escalator, so that people have to step over his body and the towel that’s moving up and down in sync with his hand-over-groin movements. He moans and makes the sounds of someone experiencing orgasm.

The boy then asks a women (probably aged in her 50s or 60s) if they she wants to come and help. That’s right. He asks a total stranger if she’d like to come and help ‘get him off’. She (quite rightly) tells him to “get your ass off that track”.

In another, one boy asks a woman if the seat next to her at a bus stop is free before sitting down next to her, telling her she’s beautiful and pretending to touch himself. She gets up to leave almost immediately and he asks: “Hey, where you going? Come back!”

And in the most disturbing scene of all, one of the boys approaches a woman with a baby and says “I love little kids.” When she goes to walk away, he follows and still with his hands down his pants – says “”I think it’s sexy, show me the kid.”

“Can you please go away,” the mother says. “We don’t think this is funny.”

No. It’s not funny at all. It’s disturbing.

And thousands of people who have viewed the video agree, including Little Britain star Matt Lucas.

”Am I too old to get it? Maybe I am. If so, I’m glad. It’s repulsive,” Lucas said on Twitter.

The boys have responded to the criticism, saying on Twitter:

ok guys so the hole purpose of public wanking is to see unseen reactions. it’s never been done before and it’s interesting to see reactions

— Janoskians (@janoskians) June 5, 2013

for the people who think we took it to far have really closed minds about the subject. it was acting and if you couldn’t tell we weren’t… — Janoskians (@janoskians) June 5, 2013

really wanking. not only the baby would never understand what’s going on. the hole purpose was to see the mothers reaction. and it was good — Janoskians (@janoskians) June 5, 2013

definitely our favourite video.

— Janoskians (@janoskians) June 5, 2013

It’s supposed to be a prank. But excuse us while we act our age and respectfully disagree.

Dropping your pants in front of strangers and making lewd gestures that should be reserved for the privacy of your home is  not humour, boys.

It’s sexual harassment.

What do you think of the stunt?