Ask.fm Launches New Safety Centre

In August 2014, Ask.fm was acquired by Ask.com, with the express intention of making the site a safer, more engaging experience for its users. The new Safety Centre is part of the site's commitment to safety under this new ownership. In line with Ask.fm's collaborative view for creating a safer product experience, especially for teens and young people, the new Ask.fm Safety Centre features a growing roster of expert researchers and contributors in the areas of teen development, cyberbullying prevention, digital citizenship and literacy, and youth safety online. Contributors include Dr. Richard Graham, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist and recent Clinical Director of the Adolescent Directorate of the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust, one of the UK's foremost clinical services for young people with mental health difficulties; Ask.fm Advisory Board member Dr. Justin Patchin of the CyberBullying Research Center in the US; and ConnectSafely.org, a leading research-based...

In August 2014, Ask.fm was acquired by Ask.com, with the express intention of making the site a safer, more engaging experience for its users. The new Safety Centre is part of the site's commitment to safety under this new ownership. In line with Ask.fm's collaborative view for creating a safer product experience, especially for teens and young people, the new Ask.fm Safety Centre features a growing roster of expert researchers and contributors in the areas of teen development, cyberbullying prevention, digital citizenship and literacy, and youth safety online. Contributors include Dr. Richard Graham, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist and recent Clinical Director of the Adolescent Directorate of the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust, one of the UK's foremost clinical services for young people with mental health difficulties; Ask.fm Advisory Board member Dr. Justin Patchin of the CyberBullying Research Center in the US; and ConnectSafely.org, a leading research-based resource for helping Internet users make safer choices, co-founded by Ask.fm Advisory Board member Anne Collier. 

"The Safety Centre is an important resource for everyone including teens, families, teachers and law enforcement," said Annie Mullins, director of EU Safety operations at Ask.fm. "Under the new ownership of Ask.com, Ask.fm is committed to creating a safer environment for young people to communicate. The new Safety Centre has good information and resources from leading online safety experts to help young people navigate not only using Ask.fm but also the wider digital world more safely."

The Safety Centre offers granular detail on product safety tools, including how to turn off anonymous questions, blocking and reporting other users, and how to control public profiles. The Safety Centre will also include a Safety Blog featuring insight from Ask.fm safety leadership, including Chief Trust and Safety Officer Catherine Teitelbaum; Annie Mullins OBE, head of digital safety operations in the EU; and Kathy Ciari, the team's newly-appointed head of Ask.fm customer advocacy.

"Ask.fm is taking a new direction under the ownership of Ask.com, and the new Safety Centre shows that it is serious about putting safety first. I welcome the fact that Ask.fm is inviting collaboration from industry and also from those who work closely with parents and vulnerable young people," said Dr. Richard Graham, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist. "Safety information needs to be actionable, meaningful and relevant to young people and their parents, offering not just tips, but understanding, and taking this collaborative approach means that Ask.fm's users will have the best information available to them."

About Ask.fm 
Ask.fm is the world's largest Q&A social network where more than 150 million members in more than 150 countries connect and engage by asking each other questions. Ask.fm is operated by Ask.com, the leading brand for online questions and answers and an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI). 

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