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By Belinda Goldsmith
LONDON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Online social network Ask.fm saidon Monday it would clamp down on bullying after coming underfire from child safety campaigners for a string of suicides inBritain that were linked to the website popular with teenagers.
Earlier this month Hannah Smith, 14, hanged herself at herfamily's home after suffering months of bullying on theLatvia-based website, which allows users to post questions andcomments to each other, anonymously if they want.
This was the fourth teenage suicide in Britain linked to thewebsite in the past year and prompted some companies, includingVodafone, Laura Ashley and the Save the Childrencharity, to withdraw advertising from the site.
Following Smith's suicide, Prime Minister David Cameron saidInternet users should boycott "vile" websites that allowcyberbullying to avoid any more deaths, while some schools urgedparents to get their children off the site.
The founders of Ask.fm, Russian brothers Ilja and MarkTerebin, said on Monday there had been a full audit of thewebsite's safety features and that as a result, they would hiremore staff to moderate comments, including a safety officer.
They would also create a new function for users to reportany bullying or harassment, and raise the visibility of a buttonto stop anonymous comments, they said in a statement.
Ask.fm has attracted 70 million users since it was foundedin 2010. The site made headlines in the United States last weekwhen kidnapping victim Hannah Anderson logged on just 48 hoursafter her rescue in Idaho to openly answer personal questionsabout her ordeal.
"I think they've gone far enough to make the website safefor teenagers to use but I also think they can do a bit more.Get rid of the anonymous bit completely, because if you'reanonymous, you can bully," Smith's father, David Smith, toldBritain's Sky Television on Monday.
A report this month from the National Society for thePrevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) indicated that onlineharassment, abuse or cyber stalking was experienced by almostone in five children who used social networking sites.
The UK Safer Internet Centre, which promotes the safe use oftechnology, said it was "delighted" by the changes announced byAsk.fm, which launched an iPhone app for users in June.
"We strongly advise users, especially children, to switchoff anonymous questions, and to report any abuse they see on thesite, whether targeting them, or other users," the centre saidin a statement.
