To ask why John Lewis is advertising on a site which allows paedophiles and bullies free rein?

[Shagmundfreud]

askfm

As suggested in a popular thread on chat today, I googled my 13 year old dd's name.

What came up was her askfm page at the top of the list of links on google. Along with a comment (which was underneath the link at the top of the google search page) from someone saying they wanted to sodomise her then perform oral sex on her. :-(

I knew she had had an ask.fm page - we found it a few weeks ago and made her inactivate it. She had set it up again and this time the comments were even nastier and more obscene.

The site is notorious for bullying and has been linked to several teen suicides: here

People are able to post anonymous comments on other people's pages, and there are no workable reporting, tracking or parental control processes.

My dd is vulnerable (she's been referred to CAMHS) and I'm devastated that she's been exposed to this. And before anyone comes along and says 'why have you allowed her free rein on the computer' all I can say is we've tried to limit her access at home, but it's impossible to stop her accessing it at other people's houses and when she's out and about. She's in a state of total, furious rebellion against me and DH which I have posted about on this site, and we've had to deal with her disappearing for hours, school refusing, repeated physical aggression and verbal abuse, self-harming.

We put controls on the computer to stop her accessing Facebook (which by the way, she has linked to through ask.fm, so that all the nasty, abusive comments appear all over her facebook page as well) from home as it was eating up every bit of her attention, but she has been able to circumvent this.

Fuck, Ask.fm is awful. Why are reputable companies like John Lewis advertising on it?

Do you think you should be asking John Lewis this question?

are they aware what site it is?

Perhaps it's something like adwords?

I have adsense on my website, I don't think the companies that advertise pick me as such.

Perhaps if you contact john lewis and ask them, you may find that they aren't actually aware.

have you emailed them for a response?

take screen shots of all pages, and send them links.

Is it not google ads? The ad space is filled by things you've searched for.

(on google)

It'll be your cookies following around the web I imagine.

Adverts are odd.
Mumsnet had an advert for Luxury Casinos a few weeks ago.
I have contacted them twice to ask why, but Istill haven't received a reply.
It was next to a thread I was reading about a compulsive gambler of a husband.

I can tell you how it happens.

Colleagues partner works for an advertising agency. Every site you visit embeds cookie things that collates information. as an example I was looking at some shoes on M&S - every site with advertising banners proceeds to throw this particular pair of shoes at me. If I visit Relationships I suddenly get the adverts for dating agencies. So its likely if the Op is visiting John Lewis, the same is happening to her.

Only answer is to strip out cookies and history every night before shut down

Op that's awful askfm is disgusting I have no idea why it's even allowed. Freedom of speech is one thing but it just seems to encourage bullying abusive behaviour.

I hope your dd starts to feel better in herself.

I would email john Lewis and complain.

Oh god - the thought that adverts for John Lewis follow me around the Internet....

I'm a mumsnet cliche aren't I?

good grief, very similar to the Tory who complained that the Labour Party was showing ad's for Russian Brides, very embarrassing when they pointed out how the ad's follow you based on your own searches.

I looked at the site there are privacy settings.

Yes M&S haunt you on random blogs etc. for days after you look something up.

Totally pointless as the nice jacket, that's following me about, is out of stock!

John Lewis most likely tells an ad network "put our ads on websites", without specifying which websites to put them on.

YWNBU to contact John Lewis and ask them to put this site on their blacklist.

I've never heard of askfm. Taken a look and it is again one of those sites to try and steer DD clear of!

It's like Holly says. This happens to me. I was looking at garden furniture on t'internet and then when I logged into ebay I was rammed with adverts for the stuff. I've never searched for it on ebay before so wondered how on earth they knew I was looking for it.

I'd never heard of this site until now, I done a quick google search and apparently it has been behind 6 teen suicides. How awful. I also seen this in a newspaper article about the site;

"Advertising revenue is around £16,000 a day and most of the adverts are targeted depending on the user?s age and location. Companies which feature on ask.fm?s pages include industry giants such as Nespresso and clothing company Isme."

You could certainly contact John Lewis and ask if they're aware of where they're advertising.