The Fife-raised stepmother of a 14-year-old who ended her life after months of online bullying says changes brought in by a controversial website do not go far enough.
Deborah Smith, formerly of Levenmouth, said she remained concerned Ask.fm would still permit anonymity by users.
The Courier reported last week how Deborah, 42, wanted social media users to “think before they type” as she told of her family’s heartbreak.
It is less than three weeks since her 14-year old stepdaughter Hannah, whom she had raised from the age of two, was found hanged.
The teenager, of Lutterworth, Leicestershire, took her own life on August 2, having received abusive messages when she posted on the Latvian-based site.
On Monday, Ask.fm co-founders Ilja and Mark Terebin said an audit into the site and its safety features has now been completed, with changes set to include a more prominent “report button” on the site and more staff hired to work as moderators.
It will also create an extra website for parents, as well as incentives to encourage people to register to use the site.
Speaking from her home in Leicestershire, Deborah told The Courier it was “impossible to know” whether such measures would have saved Hannah.
However, she did not think the measures went far enough.
She said: “The site will still allow anonymity and has not clarified how many moderators they will have, despite bragging last week that the site had 70 million users.
“It’s impossible to know if Hannah could have been saved with such measures.
“That’s why we are going to continue our fight, because we still feel it is the responsibility of Government to put measures in place to tighten up the use of social media sites.
“Ask.fm is only one of many. If they disappear, another will just appear.
“Current legislation is inadequate. Even after Hannah died, her tribute site was still being trolled by vile abuse.
“Children now use websites because it is part of society. But when psychological and verbal abuse happens, it should fall under the Children’s Act.”
Deborah said she had been “absolutely devastated” to learn last week about the death of 17-year-old Daniel Perry, of Dunfermline, The teenager took his own life after becoming involved in a webcam blackmail plot.
He was snared in online Skype conversations with someone he believed was a girl of the same age.
However, when what is thought to have been a sexually-themed video of the call was used to try to blackmail the teenager into parting with cash, he decided life was no longer worth living and jumped to his death from the Forth Road Bridge.
The teenager died on July 15 after being pulled from the water.
Deborah said: “I was absolutely devastated to hear about that tragic boy from Dunfermline. My thoughts go to his family. I know exactly how they must be feeling.”