PETALING JAYA, July 16 -- A prank by parents on their children may not be as harmless as thought.

For one Johorean couple, their efforts in trying to wean their children off gadgets may have gone viral, tickling the funny bone of many.

The prank however did not go down well with some, due to possible mental trauma to the children.

Mohd Rahseed Nisran, 32, and Rita Sofia Abdul Rahman, 30, decided on a unique 'lesson' with the help of some make-up and painted their children's eyes black after being inspired by another Facebook post.

"After seeing it on Facebook, when the kids went to sleep, my wife and I tried it," said Rahseed to mStar.

"When they woke up, they looked at each other weirdly, and we told them their eyes became like that...