Ask.fm founders' mother says suicide victims' parents are at fault, not her sons
The mother of Ask.fm founders IIja and Mark Terebin has claimed the parents of teens whose suicides have been linked to bullying on the social network are more at fault than the website.
Controversy: The mother of Ask.fm's founders has spoken out
Hannah Smith, 14, took her own life earlier this month after being bullied on the site and her death is the fourth to be linked to the social network. Ask.fm quickly apologised and called Smith’s death a “tragedy”, but a wave of brands went on to pull advertising from the site, including Specsavers, Vodafone and Save The Children.
In the latest twist to the situation, the two founders’ mother, Ludmila Terebin, told the Mail on Sunday: “I heard about this suicide case in the UK but I do not understand why my sons are to blame.
“What are they guilty of? I think we’d better look instead at the parents of these teenagers and at the way they brought them up.
“Of course, I sympathise with them. It is awful to lose your child like this but, I’m sorry, it is all to do with how you raise them.”
Terebin went on to say she didn’t understand why blame was being laid at the feet of her sons.
IIja and Mark Terebin have said they will cooperate with any police investigation and have appointed London law firm Mischon de Reya – the firm which acted for Princess Diana during her divorce from Prince Charles - to carry out an independent audit of the social media site and its safety features.
Should this subject affect yourself or any other young person you know, then ChildLine can be contacted on 0800 1111