The violent "happy slapping" craze that has spread around the country after emerging in South London last year has been linked by one expert to MTV and Channel 4 television shows.

Presenters on Jackass and Dirty Sanchez inflict pain on each other for fun in various ways, such as running semi-naked through stinging nettles.

Dr Graham Barnfield, head of media at the University of East London, said this month that there was a striking similarity between "happy slapping'' and the programmes, even though they do not depict attacks on bystanders.

"What we see the kids watching these shows doing, is thinking: 'Well, maybe I could stage my own scenes of pain and humiliation along these lines'.

"Then with 'happy slapping', people are drawn in as random victims rather than the kind of voluntary performances we get in the shows that are being copied.

"I think 'happy slapping' is become a short cut in the eyes of the slappers to fame and notoriety among the people who see the images circulated on the web or sent to them via their mobile phones," Dr Barnfield said.

Despite its light-hearted name tag, "happy slapping" entails assaulting victims, who are usually teenage boys, but can also be older and even women.

The "twist" is that incident is filmed on a 3G mobile phone, which can record video. The clips are then circulated to others via a Bluetooth wireless connection, e-mailed or even posted on a website for the world to see.

Many "slaps" are far more violent than the term suggests. Some victims are punched in the face and left bruised, while some are rendered unconscious or sustain more serious injuries.

Many victims are passengers on public transport. The British Transport Police have recorded more than 200 incidents involving commuters in London alone in the past six months.

In one week in January, eight people were charged after happy slapping incidents at South London stations and bus stops.

Some schools have now banned camera phones in a bid to halt the rise of happy slapping and some schools have identified and suspended offenders.

Such action is unlikely to curb the popularity of the phenomenon, given that most attacks occur in public places.

The appeal seems to be the adrenaline rush produced by attacking an innocent bystander and witnessing reaction.

But as slappers seek to outdo others, there are fears that attacks will become even more violent and calculated and that a death is inevitable.

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