A YouTube account that gained widespread attention for its controversial videos, produced by two parents who have now been charged with child neglect, has been removed by the streaming site.
The FamilyOFive account (formerly DaddyOFive), operated by Maryland parents Mike and Heather Martin, became the subject of outrage due to the posting of videos showing the mental and physical abuse of their own children in the form of 'pranks'.
The couple lost custody of two of their five children last year and were sentenced to five years' probation.
Mike and Heather used their children to make viral prank videos, often featuring verbal abuse and physical violence.
The Martins, however, claimed their children - the youngest of which is just 10 years old - were largely acting in the videos and enjoyed making them.
The family even went as far as to say that the people complaining about the videos were the ones truly responsible for upsetting the children.
However, the videos received widespread negative attention. Particularly from members of the YouTube community, who claimed the couple were exploiting their children and monetising child abuse through the streaming service.
One outspoken critic was prominent YouTuber Philip DeFranco, whose edit of some of the channel's more shocking moments has been viewed over three million times.
"Good on you YouTube," said DeFranco of the channel's removal.
"It is a bit late - and by a bit, I feel like I'm being very giving there - but good!"
A statement from YouTube read: "Content that endangers children is unacceptable to us. We have worked extensively alongside experts in child safety to make sure we have strict policies and are aggressively enforcing them. Given this channel owner's previous strikes for violating our Guidelines prohibiting child endangerment, we're removing all of his channels under our Terms of Service."
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Martins said: "Our family has worked very hard to heal and re-establish ourselves over the past 18 months. Through a lot of hard work and introspection, we are all doing well, and are happy.
"YouTube is something we enjoy as a family, and we will continue to do it, within the strict boundaries we have set for ourselves. For the sake of our privacy and continued healing, I have no further comment or anything past, or present at this time."
Featured Image Credit: FamilyOFive/YouTubeTopics: News, US News, Abuse, YouTube