Users On This Web Site Have Successfully Driven Nine Teenagers To Kill Themselves!
Most adults have never heard of the social media site Ask.fm. It’s huge in Europe, and it has about 65 million users. But half of them are under 18 meaning that the site’s active user base consists largely of children. And they’re using it to hound each other to death.
So far, nine teenagers connected to Ask.fm have committed suicide after receiving scores of hateful anonymous messages on the site.
Ask.fm is ostensibly a question and answer site. You sign up, and the system allows you to pose questions that anyone else can answer, or answer questions coming from other users. It also allows you to post anonymous questions. But the format also lets users engage each other in running battles and arguments, and to gang up on each other. A user’s account can quickly fill up with a stream of anonymous, hurtful messages that may or may not be coming from people you know.
In the light of recent events highlighting the impact online bullying and harassment can have on young people, we engaged professional advisers to conduct a full and independent audit of our site and its safety features.