Kik is a messaging app that has some similarities to WhatsApp. However, there is a greater focus on meeting new people rather than talking with people you already know.
The app has faced much criticism for the dangers it poses to children who use it.
Kik is primarily a messaging app, but it also has other features. These include the ability to watch other users’ live streams and a dating section. A ‘meet new people’ button also exists, which instantly puts you in a chat with a random person when pressed. Interacting with strangers around the world makes Kik similar to live-video chat sites such as Omegle and Monkey.
Kik has been at the centre of numerous cases of cyberbullying, grooming and sexual assault. It has faced criticism for having many underage users on the app. These users sometimes share explicit images and content with other users, who are often adults.
Users must be at least 13 years old to use Kik. However, there is no verification process when creating an account, so users do not need to prove their age or identity. This means there is a risk of children under 13 creating accounts and interacting with strangers on the app.
Kik does say that users aged 13 to 18 years old should have their parent or guardians permission before creating an account. However, there is no real way to enforce this rule and they do not have any steps relating to it when making an account.
When a user creates a new account, they will see a homepage with two buttons. One button invites them to find a public group to make friends with similar interests. The other button says ‘meet new people’.
Clicking the public group option allows the user to search for one of their interests to find groups with people who share this interest. However, searching for common hobbies like “football” leads the app to show groups with inappropriate and sexual content.
Choosing the ‘meet new people’ option instantly puts the user into a chat with a random stranger. This stranger could be anyone, and it is impossible to know if they are being honest about their identity. This is because Kik has no verification process, so this feature could increase the risk of harm.
How many random chats a user can enter each day is limited. Once the user reaches this limit, they must use real money to purchase more chats to begin meeting new people.
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GET YOUR TOOLKITWhile Kik allows anyone 13 years old or older to create an account, we do not recommend that children and teens use the app. No parental controls or safety features exist to keep children safe while on the platform. The following features can expose young people to harmful or inappropriate content and contact:
When chatting with a stranger, they can send photos, videos and gifs at any time. This could result in harmful or inappropriate content reaching users without warning.
Users can also send messages to other accounts without invitation or any action from the receiving account. Users can get messages from bots and strangers just minutes after creating an account. These messages may include sexual images and invites to video chat.
Kik’s live streams feature allows users to view public live streams that other users are broadcasting. Many of these streams feature men and women wearing revealing outfits and behaving in a sexually suggestive manner.
Kik’s Terms of Service state that users cannot show any nudity in their live streams. They say they will remove any streams with nudity and ban the accounts. However, when browsing Kik, it doesn’t seem like they enforce this rule strictly.
Kik is designed around meeting new people, so contact with strangers is inevitable when using the app. However, this contact is more dangerous than on some other platforms due to limited moderation.
Other accounts can message users directly without needing an invitation. This increases the risk for users because they might receive harmful content and messages without warning.
Contacting others anonymously increases the opportunity for some strangers to harm others. They can groom users for sexual or illegal purposes. They may also exploit users for financial gain.
If your child uses or wants to use the Kik app, it’s important to talk with them about it. Doing this will help you understand why they want to use the app. You will also have the chance to agree on a safer alternative.
If your teenager wants to use messaging apps, look at safer alternatives to Kik.
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. With a minimum age requirement of 13+, it is more appropriate for teens than Kik.
WhatsApp is focuses more on messaging people you already know, rather than meeting new people like Kik. This means users face less risk of a stranger contacting them. The app also has a range of privacy and safety settings, meaning you can reduce the risks for your child.
Facebook Messenger is Facebook’s dedicated messaging app. You need to create a Facebook account to set up a Facebook Messenger profile. However, you can immediately deactivate the Facebook account once you set up Facebook Messenger. Afterwards you can still log into Messenger using the Facebook account details.
Facebook Messenger does still carry some risks of unwanted contact. Unlike Kik though, safety and supervision tools exist to help you make the app safer for your child.
