Schools, Parents Worry Over New Social Networking Site That Promotes Anonymous Gossip, Insults

Imagine Facebook without identities—no pictures, names, or personal information.

Now imagine a Facebook without identities that promotes a completely new goal: anonymous gossip.

Introducing Formspring, a new social networking site that allows users to anonymously post and make public any sort of conversation, comment, or Q&A. The process is straightforward: questions and comments are sent to a user's mailbox, and if the user responds, the exchange is made public on their wall. To create an account, individuals only need to provide an e-mail address and check a box noting they are over 13 years of age. Adding a location, brief bio, and photo is optional.

The Formspring trend has caught on at Mamaroneck High School, where several students have accounts and actively pose and answer questions for anyone with an Internet connection to see.

Some of the questions and comments Mamaroneck students exchange are in line with the site's intended purpose: to "ask questions, give answers and learn more about your friends." Students ask each other, "Who's your favorite musician?" or, "What are you doing tonight?"

But frequently, the site is used for more troublesome purposes—cruel comments are the most common.

"A lot of people use Formspring," said Nuria McGrath, a junior at Mamaroneck High School. "And so many of the comments are mean or malicious."

McGrath added that while some students are able to brush off the anonymous insults, others take it seriously. In one case, a girl at Mamaroneck High School ended her account because of the insults.

"We believe that excessive computer use and particularly cyber-bullying through sites such as www.formspring.me do indeed impact your child's performance in school," said Hommocks Middle School Principal Dr. Seth Weitzman in a district's newsletter sent to parents last week. "It can be pretty traumatizing."

Mamaroneck students' walls are littered with the likes of "did u know that you are not attractive?" and "you are mad ugly." Additionally, conversation topics range from sexual experience to parties to substance use.

"Formspring is supposed to be used for questions," said Clara Hinchcliff, a junior at Mamaroneck High School. "But people just use it to post comments—mean comments."

Sophomore Nick Viagas agrees that the comments are often spiteful, but does not view it as a problem.

"It's entertainment, and most people don't take it seriously," Viagas said. "Since it's anonymous, it would be silly for someone to make an account and not expect nasty comments. You get what you sign up for."

Formspring's popularity is not limited to Mamaroneck's older students, either.

Debbie Manetta, director of public information for Mamaroneck schools, said Formspring has become increasingly popular at Hommocks Middle School.

"Every Monday, we have students that line up outside the guidance counselors' office with printouts of comments they received over the weekend," Manetta said. "These children are very upset."

"There are dangers involved when kids expose themselves in such a way and allow themselves to be so vulnerable," she added.

Manetta noted Mamaroneck High School and Hommocks Middle School have received much e-mail from concerned parents. As a result, the schools sent out the newsletter mentioned above, informing parents of Formspring and suggesting methods to monitor children.

Dr. Alan Dienstag, supervising psychologist of the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Community Counseling Center (LMCCC), wrote that social networking sites can be destructive, Formspring being a reminder of this, and that adolescents should use them with adult supervision.

He suggests parents to be the gatekeepers of their home network and Internet connectivity, to start working with their kids on the subject in fourth or fifth grade ("If you wait until high school, creating rules and expectations will be much harder," he said), and to have a sign up in the computer room that reads, "Don't do anything on the Internet that you don't want the whole world to know."

The sort of cruel behavior seen online isn't unique to Mamaroneck—in March, Long Island teen Alexis Pilkington took her own life due in part to taunts and harassment aimed at her on Formspring. And it is these types of incidents that have Mamaroneck parents anxious.

"Hearing about the dangers of social networking from one source isn't enough for kids," said Jan Northrop, a Mamaroneck resident whose children went through the school district. "You need multiple sources—parents, the school—to make a dent."

Nancy Pierson, another mother of Mamaroneck students, agrees.

"I definitely think it's the school's job to teach responsibility on the Web," she said.