Should the ask.fm website be shut down?

[Notsoyummymummy1]

As the ask.fm website is linked to four teen suicides, surely it should be closed down. Half of the site's 65m users worldwide are teenagers and realistically parents can't be expected to know everything their children get up to. Why is this government so slow to regulate the Internet?

and the unicorn is back

I think there are a lot of questions there.

To specifically look at this company, it seems that they have responded in an extremely poor (out of order) way to previous suicides. And I'm guessing if there have been suicides then bullying is not uncommon on the site.

Advertisers withdrawing is what will hurt them most.

I agree that parents can't and shouldn't be aware of everything their children are up to. Teenagers should have a certain amount of freedom, as they have always done.

I think the idea of regulating the internet is technically tricky.

I wonder if, for sites aimed at young people, they should have to provide more info. Like, I don't know. Parental sign-off, a passport or ID number, something linking them to their posts? I don't think that, knowing how children are, aiming a site at them and then providing anonimity is entirely sensible. Suicides as a result of actions on sites aimed at teens are quite prevalent, more so than adults. So I think maybe sites aimed at whatever it is, 14-22 or whatever, need to have different rules in the sign-up and more moderation.

make internet safety part of the national curriculum

It should definitely be closed down. I know the victim of an abuser who has been contacted by him via ask. We know it's him, but can't prove it to the police because he is doing it all anonymously.

another site will just open

No

If there are over 30 million teenagers using it worldwide, then statistically many, many more than 4 will have committed suicide. The reasons that people, of any age, take their own life are specific to that person and often complicated. When someone you love commits suicide, it can be very hard not to try to find one thing to blame, because that somehow makes you feel better, but that doesn't mean that you're necessarily right. When BIL killed himself, some family members were determined to pin it on one incident, that hadn't actually happened as they recounted it, they were grieving and also had a lot invested in denying that he'd been diagnosed with a mental illness and was suffering an acute attack when he committed suicide. Apportioning blame made it easier for them to process, but wasn't necessarily right.

That 4 suicides have been blamed on one thing doesn't mean that's why they happened. Closing a website won't stop teenagers taking their own lives. It just seems like a pointless response.

"make internet safety part of the national curriculum"

It is (in England)

No but the option to be anonymous thing should be got rid of. I've read some of the questions on that site and they're horrible.

With this particular site, on speaking to the parents of another child who committed suicide, they apparently told them "Well it's only a problem in the UK and Ireland as children are much nastier there". Well that's what I remember from newsnight last night. Hardly a top response.

Personally I think a site aimed at teens and young adults (or even younger children) should be moderated and have obvious mechanisms for reporting abuse and people banned etc. Anything else is irresponsible.

Multiple people telling a teenager that they should go and kill themselves is simply wrong and the idea that sites aimed at this age group should have some moderation/reporting/safeguarding is hardly beyond the realms of possibility (but it costs money, so, there you have it).

Someone linked this on facebook about how boycotting the website is wrong.

Personally I think we should boycott them and shut them down.

No

I do wonder whether this

"realistically parents can't be expected to know everything their children get up to."

is what the OP or is just posted to get a response.

BBJ that don't even make sense!

Try again honey

I think they meant 'is what the OP thinks or is just posted to get a reponse'

Just had a quick go on ask.

Lots of pics of teenage girls.

The website is ASK ME A QUESTION!!!!

Question is usually, will you give me a blow job????

aH AH HA ha ha ha

Boys so funny.

Nice

yes

should be goad not get :)
but it is late

DontstepontheMomeRaths

That would be mostly what I meant.

deffo off to bed :)

Indeed. Typos in my reply too. Time for bed

Me 15 girl like chocolate and dancing.

GIVE ME A BLOWJOB!!!

Ha hahah ahahaha is so so funny!

And nothing changes.

Well that's the good looking ones. Less good looking girls = GO KILL YOURSELF apparently. Oh and more good looking girls who don't, you know, play the game. The one that they don't like but have to play anyway.

Patriarchy you are a MARVEL!!!!!! You don't change or water down, you just get NEW and FUN methods to enforce your will. Super-top...

There are other news articles from around the world where the bullying on Ask has been said to have played a part in teen suicides other than the 4 mentioned.

Ask is different than other social networking sites in that it appeals to young teens. Not many 17 year olds would waste their time on it.

What concerns me is how the media are reporting the "trolling". The majority of the bullying done on the site are from the users peers who know their target from school/ neighbourhood etc As can be witnessed by mentioning recent events inc naming friends/outfit worn that day/playground fight politics.

On top of the above are the "asks" of a sexual nature eg How far have you gone? which is pretty tame compared to the norm of "I want to come all over your tits and watch you lick it off".

All of the above posted anon.

Yes, they don't have to answer BUT the point is that they have already seen the "question" which is normally a statement about them.

Teens seek validation from their peers that's always been a given. We also know that kids can be unkind/cruel/make mistakes as they learn their way.

I would ask parents whose children have an Ask account to check what they have "asked" of others. I would bet that that there will be a lot of shocked parents if they did so.

Daily Mail has an article just gone on, from the mum of the owner of Ask. blaming the parents of the girls..

I've not linked it as I'm on phone and I know DM links are not liked.

YABU. Bullying is the problem, not a specific website. There have been young people bullied on Facebook and other sites. Banning this site would simply move the problem elsewhere.

Sorry, I've just realised this isn't AIBU...

Boney Back Jefferson yes it is how I really feel - I didn't tell my parents any of what I went through at school because I didn't think they'd understand and feared they'd get worried or interfere. I just think that people who say it's all down to the parents are being unrealistic. Once children start high school they change an awful lot - all you can do is try and monitor them as much as you can and let them know they come to you but you can't control their lives completely. Yes I was looking for a response - isn't that the whole point of posting something??!! Doh!