Kik Messenger is one of the most popular instant messaging applications for teens. Why do they like it, and other similar apps like TextNow, so much? One, it is free. Two, you don’t need a phone plan to use it, just an email address to sign up. And three, it is a cross platform app. Kik has an app for iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone.

I have always been wary of Kik because of the many cyberbullying issues I have investigated with students using Kik. A Kik account is tied to an email, not a phone number like iMessage. If you receive a threat from an iMessage account, it has a phone number or an iTunes account behind it. Kik can be created with a temporary throwaway email that is untraceable. I have told parents in my Cyber Safety Cop Workshop to be aware of these issues with Kik. I didn’t come out and say their child should not have Kik, but to weigh the risks and decide if it is appropriate. Recently, I have learned that Kik isn’t just a messaging app anymore. You can download apps inside of Kik. My opinion has completely changed based on this new information. Kik is not safe for anyone under 18-years-old.

See the images below. Once you log in to Kik, you will see a globe icon in the bottom right corner. If you tap on that, you will be taken to a kind of free app store. Here you can download apps like HeyHey, a kind of Instagram that has extremely inappropriate images. Many of which are invitations to pornography sites elsewhere. Or, you can load Talk to Strangers or Flirt. These apps will facilitate your child to have a Kik conversation with a complete stranger.

You may have allowed your child to use Kik to chat with their friends. They may not be using the new app feature. However, with this new feature, Kik has had to change their age rating from 13 to 17-year-old or older.
Review your child’s apps and make sure they are only using age appropriate applications.

Clay Cranford has done it—provided a handbook to put u ...