What it is
Kik is a messenger built around usernames rather than a phone number you already know. People can be found through public groups and a search, and the person on the other side may not be who the profile suggests.
It has a long public record of being used to contact minors and to move those chats away from apps that friends or parents might see. Finding it on a child's device is a reason to talk the same day, not a minor settings tweak.
What to look out for
- A username that friends at school do not recognise.
- Public groups about dating, roleplay, or "trading" pictures.
- Requests to keep the app hidden, or to delete threads quickly.
- Anyone asking for photos, a phone number, or a move to yet another app.
Ways to stay safe
These steps are for Kik. The house rules still apply on every app.
- Remove the app unless you have a specific, supervised reason and you know every person they talk to.
- Ask who they have been speaking with. Write the usernames down.
- If an adult has been sexual, offered gifts, or asked to meet, use the help page. Do not contact that person yourself.
- Turn on an app-store password so a deleted app is harder to reinstall in secret.
In the news
Published reports you can read yourself. A headline is the proof, not a set of instructions, and this page does not repeat graphic detail.
- Connecticut opens an investigation into Kik The state attorney general called the app a predator’s paradise and said it had no real parental controls.
- Online grooming crimes against children increase by 89% in six years Where police named the app: Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger, Instagram, and Kik.
A way to start the conversation
Try: "Kik makes it easy for strangers to start a chat. I need this one off the phone. If someone already asked you for something that felt wrong, you can tell me and you will not be in trouble for saying it."
Video
Kik parent briefing
A short video for this guide can be added by an editor. Until then, the written briefing above is the one to use.