Created in 2010, ask.fm now has over 65 million users, with a daily gain of 200,000 users. Ask.fm is used to ask and answer questions. With its rising popularity, ask.fm is an easy way for people to bully, without facing the consequences.

The anonymous feature on ask.fm allows people to ridicule others without revealing their identity. Several websites such as Formspring and Facebook attempted to add an “ask anonymously” feature, but soon realized that it only led to hateful comments.  That is definitely the case with ask.fm. While the site may have been created with the intentions of making it easier to get to know people, users use it as a way to criticize others, and say what they cannot say in person. With more than the half of the users under the age of 18, ask.fm is proving to have harmful effects on teenagers throughout the world.

While typing up the messages, users may not understand how much harm they are doing. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, effects of cyber bullying include unwillingness to attend school, a drop in grades, a low self esteem and even extreme effects such as teen suicide. There have been nine suicides linked to ask.fm since it was created and users continue to receive hateful messages.

Ask.fm has proved to be harmful in many ways. After seeing the negative effects, representatives attempted to take action, by creating a “report” button and monitoring users, but have not been able to resolve the overall problem. Removing the anonymous button seems like the only possible solution. Websites like these are asking for trouble, and oftentimes the effect they have on users lasts forever.