Heard of the SmackCam craze? Now you have…

It mostly involves foam pies and bored teenagers sneaking up on each other but the latest web craze known as “Smack Cam” is getting more extreme by the day.

In the last 24 hours alone nearly 3,000 Twitter posts have been tagged #smackcam and range from old-fashioned slapstick japes to people being slapped hard while a smartphone records the action.

Fans of the pranks are using Vine, a Twitter-linked video tool, which allows users to record six seconds of footage which then loops – and can be shared via other social media, including Twitter and Facebook.

Channel 4 News has used Vine to show viewers inside the newsroom, for example.

Critics say the “Smack Cam” trend has got out of hand – with some videos featuring real violence: teenage boys slapping girls, people being attacked from behind and others even set on fire.

“It’s another example of why parents should talk to their kids about what they’re doing online,” web safety adviser John Carr told Channel 4 News.

“It’s just part of the challenge of being a modern parent. It’s about talking to your kids about sensible behaviour.

“Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame. It’s a by-product of our celebrity-driven culture.

“There’s been a wave of these types of social phenomena – this is just another one of them.

“Banning these things often doesn’t work.”

Good or bad, videos are capable of spreading so quickly, they inspire others to mimic them. Matt Brian

Matt Brian from The Verge said: “As online video continues to grow, so does the number of malicious video uploads. Video sharing services like Vine and Instagram are popular because they are easy to set up and videos are instantly sharable.

“The limited duration of such videos means they can be captured quickly and posted to wider networks. Smartphone users can watch, comment and pass them on with a few taps on the screen, allowing them to go viral.

“Good or bad, videos are capable of spreading so quickly, they inspire others to mimic them.”

A campaign to stop the violence has begun online.

One user said: “Some people take the smack cam waaaay too far….”

Megan Garber, a tech writer for The Atlantic, simply called it: “Human terribleness, on an infinite loop.”

To follow our non-violent and peace-loving activity on Vine, download the Vine app to your device and search for Channel4News