What is Ask.fm?
Ask.fm is a social Q&A site where users can ask other users questions. The questions can be from a named user, or completely anonymous. It is unmoderated (unless a user reports something), has no parental controls, and is an Latvian company. The concept seems harmless: you register, create a profile, and ask/answer questions that are posted to you. The problem is around the anonymity of the messaging. In the settings, you have the ability to block anonymous questions, but most users do not do this. You have the ability to blacklist users, assuming you know who they are. The terms of service says that you need to be 13 years old or older to join the site, but this is bypassed regularly.
Why should you worry for your kids?
Michael Sheehan said it best in his article named “Parents Be Warned! Ask.fm is a Dangerous & Deadly Social Site for Teens & Tweens“:
Again, this seems relatively harmless, right? WRONG! Ask.fm is rapidly becoming a site for bullies and seemingly sex-crazed users (even if it is simply innuendos in messaging). And I believe that parents (especially in the US) don
