YouTube should be prosecuted for carrying “happy-slapping” clips on its site, experts on internet safety say.

They told MPs yesterday that after a court case this month, a legal precedent had been set that will allow those who video assaults to be prosecuted. A 15-year-old girl was found guilty of aiding and abetting manslaughter after she used a mobile phone to film a man being kicked and punched to death – the first conviction of its kind.

Legal action should be extended to the sites that carry footage, the experts said. They were giving evidence to MPs on the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, which is conducting an inquiry into harmful material on the internet and how the law should be tightened. Stephen Carrick-Davies, of Childnet International, said websites should be prosecuted as individuals were. Asked if YouTube should be prosecuted for aiding and abetting, he said it should. “I believe it would help stop a lot of the assaults.”

John Carr, executive secretary of the Children’s Charities’ Coalition on Internet Safety, agreed that the sites should face prosecution, as did Sonia Livingstone, Professor of Social Psychology at the LSE. However, Professor Livingstone said that sites should not be singled out for prosecution.

YouTube tells users that it does not allow “videos with nudity, graphic violence or hate”, but it has faced criticism for hosting clips of “happy slapping”. The experts also voiced concern that children were being put at risk through using social networking sites.

Explore Tech & Web

• Personal Tech

• The Web

• Gadgets & Gaming