Hatred hides behind veil of online anonymity

Aoife Fitzpatrick (not her real name) is 15 and flattered, if a little frustrated, that she doesn’t know who’s paying her the compliment that has just appeared on her ask.fm account.

“Your veryyyy beautiful! I wish I ever had a chance with you,” writes her admirer, who could be a genuinely smitten boy, a pervert trawling for teenage prey, or a girl from her own peer group deliberately trying to build Aoife up to pull her down again with a subsequent cutting remark.

Aoife hedges her bets in her reply: “Aw thank you :-) this is why i kinda hate ask.fm i hate not knowing who anyone is saying these things!”