What Parents Need to Know About Ask.FM

There is a new social media site that every parent needs to be aware of.  The new site is called Ask.FM.  On this site people can log on and ask any question they like and people answer the question or comment on the question.  People are able to log on anonymously.  Therefore there is no way to know who is answering or commenting on the question your child post.  Also there is no way to tell the age of who is responding.  Half the people on Ask.FM are over 18.  Another fact about the site is that it is international.  Therefore, people from all over the world can comment on your child's post.
     On face value this doesn't sound so harmful.  However, the truth is that parents really need to worry about their children on this site.  Due to the aunominity of the site it has become a site for bullying very fast.  People are making very negative comments about people's questions.  And some kids become targets of harassment.  The harassment has become so severe that several teenagers have committed suicide due to the harassment they have received on this site.  Studies have shown that when people are able to remain anonymous that they are more likely to be aggressive towards another people.  This is exactly what is occurring on Ask.FM.  Also since the site has not been doing a great deal of marketing, most parents have not heard about it.  However, kids have been telling each other about via Facebook, Twitter, texting and word of mouth.  Therefore, you may not know about it, but your teen most likely knows it.  Also it is very easy to sign up for this site.  You basically give an email and a user name - you don't need much more than that.
    The bullying that is occuring on this site is very severe.  It is having a major impact on many teens. It is impacting their self-esteem and several suicides have been associated with this site and warnings are going out to parents to be cautious about this site.  As a parent you should check to see if your child/teen is using this site and if so monitor their use.  This site really has no way to monitor cyber-bullying.  As we know cyber-bullying has resulted in númerous suicides.  So as a responsible parent check this site out and monitor your child/teen if they are using this site.
  If you have questions for Dr. Rubino you can contact him at DrMike@rcs-ca.com.  Also Dr. RubIno is accepting new patients in his Pleasant Hill office.  To schedule an appointment you can email Dr. Rubino