Baby Shark beats Despacito to become most viewed YouTube video ever

Wildly popular children’s song has almost 7.04bn views

A video for “Baby Shark”, the extremely catchy children’s song, has become the most viewed clip in YouTube’s history.

The wildly popular 2016 song, recorded by South Korean company Pinkfong, has racked up 7.04bn views at the time of writing.

It has beaten Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s 2017 single “Despacito” to the top spot.

While the original writer of nursery rhyme “Baby Shark” is unclear, the tune gained international fame after a 10-year-old Korean-American singer, Hope Segoine, recorded a new version four years ago.

The song, which is just one minute and 21 seconds long, reached No 6 in the UK singles chart. It has spawned spin-off live tours, merchandise and books.

“Baby Shark” recently made headlines after three Oklahoma prison workers were charged with prisoner cruelty after allegedly handcuffing inmates and forcing them to stand and listen to the track for hours.

Playing the song on repeat put “undue emotional stress on the inmates who were most likely already suffering”, according to David Prater, the Oklahoma County district attorney.

The Oklahoma incident is not the only time the song has been used to sinister effect. Last year, the city of West Palm Beach, Florida, blared “Baby Shark” to deter homeless people from sleeping outside an event centre.