What is ASKfm? A Parent Guide

We created a parents guide for the ASKfm (formerly called Ask.fm) app to help parents and educators better understand this new and popular app that students are using.

Parent & educator training video

ASKfm marketing

Ask and answer. Find out what people want to know about you! ASKfm is a global community. We already have more than 90 million members in over 150 countries. We are a community built on core values, on togetherness, trust and mutual respect. - ASKfm

Ask.fm, the troubling secret playground of tweens and teens. Insanely popular with kids, the question-and-answer service thrives on anonymity, making it fun and dangerous - CNET

Anyone over the age 13 years old can create an account

You must be at least 13 years old to create an account and we also ask that you read our policies to make sure that you understand how to use Ask.fm. - ASKfm

The site is especially popular with teenagers: 42% of its users are under the age of 17. - TIME

What parents should worry about?

1. Ask.fm is based in Riga, Latvia, which is why U.S. and British authorities often have a long wait to gather data from the site.
   From: Chicago Now
2. It's very easy to find any user on Ask.fm. Most of the students are revealing personal information, such as first and last names, age, location, and links to their social webpages.
3. Students often have no way of knowing who is bullying or harassing them on the site.
   From Chicago Now
4. At least 9 teenage suicides were linked to cyber-bullying on social network Ask.fm.
   From BuzzFeed

What do the co-founders of ASKfm say about cyber-bulling problems?

From DailyMail
We are the ones being bullied: Founders of Ask.fm claim they are easy targets despite website being linked to string of teen suicides.

What can parents do?

• Ask your students if they are on this app and if they have friends that are on this app
• Have your kids delete this app and use Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat
• Work with your student to save their settings to restrict receiving anonymous messages
• Parents can view their student's profile to monitor the content
• Inappropriate questions should be reported and deleted
• Explain to your students that if you threaten someone else you will get caught by the police

How to restrict receiving anonymous questions:

1. Open your account.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Click on Privacy tab.
4. Check the "Do not allow anonymous questions" field.

How to see your student's account?

1. Create an account.
2. Go to ASK.fm or download the Ask.fm app for your electronic device. You need to submit a username and password which will become your login details. You will also need to enter your full name, email address and date of birth. You can also link your Ask.fm account with Facebook, Twitter or Vk.
3. Find your student. The service will find all Ask.fm users within your social network friends automatically. Also, you may find your student by typing the name and location in the service search field.

How to delete an ASK.fm account?

• Click here: Delete Ask.fm account or go to the Ask.fm app on your phone and choose Settings, Profile and click Deactivate account.
• You need to have an access to your student's account to delete it. You have to know login and password to sign in.

Parents can report inappropriate content on their student's ASK.fm profile.

Report the content by clicking the flag next to all posts. You will need to select the reason why the content is inappropriate. Reported post will be checked by the Ask.fm team and it will be deleted, if it breaches company's terms of use.

Do you have more questions about the ASK.fm social network? Let us know in the comment section below.

Additional Resources

With so many resources available and so many people wanting to help, suicide can be prevented. Check on your friends and family members often and let them know you’re there for them. Let’s work towards getting rid of the stigma of talking about mental health. 

If you or someone you know is in an emergency, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or call 911 immediately. If you’re uncomfortable talking on the phone, you can also text HOME to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.