Kik Messenger is hugely popular among teenagers in the United States and overseas that some parents worry understandingly worry about safety. And it is not just parents who worry about Kik safety. Many users probably do too. So, are Kik websites really safe?
In this article we will focus specifically on Kik websites but we will also cover some information that is more widely related to the Kik Messenger app.
The reason why we will cover some essentials about Kik Messenger safety and privacy is because Kik websites use information from your Kik Messenger profile. This means that we cannot really talk about Kik website safety without mentioning or explaining some things about safety and privacy in the Kik Messenger app.
So, let’s start by saying that Kik Messenger takes its users’ extremely seriously.
In fact one of the security advantages of using the Kik Messenger app is that its users do not have to exchange telephone numbers in order to chat to one another. Because all you will ever need to chat to someone else on Kik Messenger is their Kik username.
Things About Kik Safety You Need To Know
This means that your identity will, in theory, be more strongly protected. No one should be able to guess who is really behind a Kik Messenger user name. This, however, depends of you to a large extent. If you use the same user name across different apps or social networks. We would strongly advice against using the same user name for more than one app or social media site. For example, do not have the same user name for Twitter, Instagram, and Kik Messenger, for example. Try to have a completely different user name for every site you use. Otherwise, your user name may become too vulnerable.
Once you have ensured that you have a distinctive enough user name that you are not sharing with other social media sites, there are other things you will need to think about. One of the best things about the Kik Messenger app may be one of the worse, too. Anybody on Kik Messenger can add anybody else on the instant messaging app. This is a great way of meeting new people and, potentially, making new friends. Kik users cannot only chat to one another without filters (i.e., they not need to add each other, or send contact requests), but they can also create Kik groups and add any users they choose. So, whether someone has chatted with you on Kik Messenger or not, they can either start messaging you or add you to one of their groups (likewise, you could also do that yourself to any other Kik Messenger users). Generally, this is a great thing because you could make a lot of new friends or have great and unexpected chats. However, there is a potential downside to this. Online predators can use Kik Messenger to prey on their victims. If you are not aware of the risks, you may find yourself being targeted by them.
To prevent vulnerable people for being targeted, Kik Messenger is only available for people over the age of 13. Between the age of 13 and 17, potential users need an adult to sign them up. However, as the Kik Messenger app is available for free from all official app store sites, anybody from any age could sign up to it if they lied about their age. So, if you are a parent or guardian of a minor, you will need to make sure to disable their smart phone or mobile device from downloading and installing the Kik Messenger app.
If your under 13 years old child is already on Kik Messenger, you can deactivate their account yourself as their parent or legal guardian. You can use your child’s email address (if you do not have it, you should, so ask them for it) and submit it for Kik deactivation from the actual Kik Messenger app. If you do not have your child’s email address and do not want to wait until they give it to you, you can request the deactivation of their Kik account by emailing support@kik.com explaining the situation. If your child is under 13 years old and has an account on Kik Messenger it means that they lied when they signed up. If that is the case, then it means that there probably are far more issues that you need to discuss with your child but we would leave those to you.
If you can legally use the Kik Messenger you would still need to take certain safety precautions. First of all, be cautious when you chat to new people. Try not to divulge any personal information to people you do not know from real life. Scammers often target their potential victims on Kik Messenger and similar apps or sites. If you get any links to offers directing you to third party website, do not click on it as this would most likely be an attempt at phishing some personal information from you.
If anything somebody says to you on Kik Messenger makes you really uncomfortable, do not take the chat any further. At the smallest suspicion or anything that makes you uncomfortable or offends you, you should block the user you are instant messaging with. The great thing is that, fortunately, you can do that discreetly whenever you feel the need to do it. Blocking someone is the quickest and most convenient way of ensuring that nobody bothers you on Kik Messenger.
More Online Threats
“I let people fill in the blanks on their own. If they want to think about their ex, that’s fine. If they want to think about maybe who one of my exes is, then that’s fine. And it might not be right, because I’m the only one who knows what these songs are really about. It’s the one shred of privacy I have in the matter”. Taylor Swift.
We do not have the talent, the opportunity or the inclination of expressing ourselves with song. We all have a right to privacy even when we use online instant messaging sites or apps like Kik Messenger. Many people use Kik websites to find other Kik users to chat with. The safety considerations are pretty much the same ones we have already made in this article. However, there are a few more things to take into account if you are thinking of using one of those sites.
- Kik Messaging sites are not officially linked to Kik Messenger. This means that if you encounter any problem (or any nature) on those websites, the Kik Messenger app support team will, unfortunately, not be able to help you.
- Kik Messaging sites tend to be of an adult and often sexually explicit content. So, if you are not a minor or not comfortable with that kind of content, you should probably steer clear from those Kik websites. The good news is that others will only be able to find you on those sites if you submit your details yourself. Nobody else can do that for you.
- Even if you use Kik Messaging sites, you can always block any users that approach you with messages that offend you or bother you.
Whether you meet people virtually from one of those Kik sites or simply chat to new people on the Kik Messenger app, there are also certain things you will need to bear in mind, too. The first thing is too be extra vigilant when you chat to people you do not know in real life. Believe it or not, there are way too many people who take to the Internet pretending they are someone else. It is really easy for such people to open profiles on Kik Messenger and lie about who they are. They would use fake pictures and even lie about their age, gender, or sexual orientation. They may even tell you that they know you from real life, so do not give them any clues about your life so they cannot guess anything they might use to convince you that you guys know each other. If you what to check if they are who they think they are, you can always do a live video chat. Do not trust any pre-recorded video or photos as they can be manipulated easily. If you are not comfortable doing live video or they just do not make you feel comfortable, the best you could do is to block them.
If you want to make sure that you are chatting to someone who is who they say they are, the only way you can know one hundred percent is by chatting only to people you know from real life. This may limit who you can chat with but it is also the only fully safe way of using Kik Messenger and Kik websites.
Everyone who uses Kik websites or the Kik Messenger site should be aware of any safety issues. The Kik websites are not really any less safe than the Kik Messenger app or any other similar online service. The best way to keep your profile safe is to be informed and act accordingly. We hope this article has helped you in that respect.