One of the most prevalent questions we get here is if Kik is safe. It is a very valid, and important, question that any parents and users should ask. In short, Kik is really as safe as you make it. To learn more about Kik safety check out this guide.

Treat your password like a toothbrush. Don’t let anybody else use it and get a new one every six months. – Clifford Stoll

Is Kik safe?

Safety is usually a pretty big concern in our everyday lives, but that concern also needs to be in place when doing anything on the Internet, including using Kik. Kik is safe, as long as you be smart about what you’re doing and who you talk to.

If you are a parent and are seeing some very disturbing stories about kids and teens who were abducted or killed and are concerned about your child, you’ve come to the right place. What is important to remember is that Kik is as safe as you make it, but your child needs to take precautions, just as they do in their real lives. I’m sure you have probably told your children not to talk to strangers, because I know my parents sure drilled that into my mind since I was a young kid. You also probably taught them to look both ways before crossing the street, not to play in the freeway, and to play outside when they played too many video games. Well, a lot those lessons are pretty applicable to Kik (except playing in the freeway).

How to stay safe on Kik

It is vital to stay safe on Kik, because there are a lot of people out there who will take advantage of someone on Kik who gives away too much information. There are a few ways to ensure that you stay as safe as possible on Kik, so let’s go over them:

Never give out your login information
Don’t share your location with people you don’t know in real life
Don’t talk to strangers
Do not send out any inappropriate pictures
Block people who make you uncomfortable
Report people who send you inappropriate pictures

While some of these might be easy to understand, others may not so we will quickly cover them.

Staying Safe on Kik

1. Don’t give out your login info

I know this might be pretty self explainable, but do not give out any of your login info with anyone. Your account is your account and giving someone access to that can be disastrous. Not only can they get more information about you, but they could contact others and make a mess. If the person you give your login information to is a predator they can get quite a bit of information about you, such as:

Your real name
Email address
Possible phone number (if you used your number on Kik)

Again, to give out your login info to a complete stranger is extremely careless and dangerous.

2. Don’t share location

I really wish that more people would stop sharing their location because it is pretty stupid. No matter where you live there will always be some type of predator, so why make their job easy by telling them exactly where to find you? Sharing your location with friends that you actually know is fine, but if you have never met people you talk to on Kik then don’t tell them your exact location.

3. Don’t talk (or meet up) to strangers

I know I sound like a nagging mother telling her kids not to talk to strangers, but I’m okay with that. Like I said before, there are predators out there that will befriend people on Kik and then ask to meet. There are unfortunately quite a few instances of this happening (or like this creep who was involved in child pornography facilitated by Kik). It is because people communicate with strangers that police warn people to stay away from Kik, but if you use the app with some common sense then you won’t be in danger. So, do not talk to strangers on Kik.

4. Do not send out any inappropriate pictures

I keep stressing the point that there are creepers everywhere because it is true, and these predators might try to get you to send “graphic” pictures. So, again I am stressing common sense here, do not send inappropriate pictures on Kik. If you are 18 years old or up and ask for nudes from someone younger it is considered child pornography, and I am very doubtful you want to end up as a listed sex offender. And if you are younger than 18 be smart and don’t send out those pictures.

5. Block people who make you uncomfortable

If someone sends you anything that makes you uncomfortable (like nudes or texts) then you can very easily block them. Follow these steps to block someone:

Click on that persons profile
Hit “display name” and then click on more
Click on block

It is that simple, and it helps keep you safe. This can be done if the person has made you uncomfortable, or even if they are just plain annoying and you are sick of them contacting you.

6. Report people who send you inappropriate pictures

If someone is harassing you or sending you inappropriate pictures you can report them for Kik to investigate their activity. Here’s how:

Go to their profile
Click on display name and then click on the 3 dots
Tap on report user and choose whatever answer fits you best
You can decide whether you want to include the chat history (very useful to prove harassment)
To finish hit report and block

If you choose to send the chat history to Kik they can go through and read what was said, and hopefully ban that user so they can’t harass anyone else. You can also report a spam bot, or even someone who annoys you (for that they won’t research into the person so it is best to just block them). If you want to report a user a different way you can actually contact Kik here.