Kik has grown to become one of the most popular messaging apps on the market, with more than 50 million users and a whopping 20,000 new members per day. It’s frequently used as a messaging platform for people who want to communicate discreetly outside of other social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). But, more importantly, it has gained a lot of traction among our children.
What do you know about the Kik users your children are conversing with? Only a username, full name, image, and email address are provided, none of which can be verified. So how can you know if your children are conversing with peers, friends, or stalkers and other predators who are concealing their identities? You don’t have it.
“Kik MeThe Apps Your Kids Are Using Now: Kik” examines how this raises a number of privacy concerns for both parents and children, including:
- Even if you leave the app open to utilize another app, it continues to operate in the background. This keeps your smartphone available for messages from any app users who choose to connect.
- There isn’t much you can do to verify someone’s identity on Kik.
- A popup notification shows after the user downloads the software, asking for confirmation that they are 17 or older. Selecting the OK button is the only additional verification necessary. This gives your youngster access to stuff you probably don’t want them to see.
Furthermore, the Capture feature may allow your children to view or share improper photographs that you are unaware of at the time. And once those photographs are out there, they will remain there indefinitely.
It’s generally best if you have your child delete Kik from their phone. There is no foolproof way to ensure that the images and messages your children see are appropriate for their age. They are most likely ignoring the warning before downloading.
If you decide to let them keep the app, here are some ideas to help them be safe while using it:
- Tell them to keep their Kik username a secret. Do not share this username on any other social networking platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
- Verify that they aren’t connecting with strangers outside of the app.
- If your children are using your phone, don’t allow them download apps with your passcode. Keep track of what apps they’ve downloaded if they have their own phone.
- In the app’s notifications section, have them pick “Ignore New People,” which allows you to prevent new follower messages.
- Make a point of going over your children’s social media acquaintances. You’d want to meet your child’s pal in person, so why not do so online?
- Before downloading, read the reviews and ratings, just as you would with any other program. You never know what you’ll come across.
- Look up any application-related news from reputable sources.
Is it possible to trace Kik messages?
Kik is a chat app that may be tracked back to your phone’s location. Because Kik messages are sent over the internet, they can’t be tracked back to the sender’s phone. If you don’t have a password on your account, though, anyone with the username and password can log in.
What can other Kik users see?
A user’s first and last name, username, and profile image are visible to other Kik users. They don’t have access to a user’s email address, phone number, birthday, or location.
Is it true that texting applications appear on your phone bill?
No, your phone bill does not include Messenger or other texting apps. The cost of using any app that uses data or sends messages is included in your wireless carrier’s monthly plan. Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, TextNow, and iMessage are all examples of this.
The call is made through the internet, not over your phone’s cellular network, if you use one of the messenger or texting apps. This means it will not appear on your phone bill. Instead, they show up as normal data consumption. So don’t be concerned about someone viewing your phone history.
You see, not all phone calls are recorded on your phone bill; only those made via a cellular network are. Simply simply, phoning somebody through texting apps is another option to make a phone call without it appearing on your phone bill. What gives that this is possible?
Is Kik completely private?
An Alabama man has been charged with statutory rape and the attempted kidnapping of a 14-year-old girl he met on the social media platform Kik.
After conversing and arranging the encounter on Kik, a Colorado man is accused of taking a 13-year-old Connecticut girl to a hotel and sexually assaulting her.
“The Kik app has become so popular,” said Leslie Rutledge, the Arkansas attorney general, who issued a public plea last year to parents in her state to educate themselves about their children’s online habits after two Arkansas men used Kik to solicit nude photos from underage girls and an undercover investigator.
Kik, which was founded in 2009 and is based in Canada, hopes to be the Western equivalent of WeChat, China’s enormously popular messaging service that includes free texting, e-commerce, and content delivery. The app’s main selling point is privacy and anonymity: it’s free and allows users to meet strangers and connect with them secretly via a user name.
Is it true that Kik discussions are private?
Kik is one of the more private chat apps on the market.
Instead of a phone number, it merely requires an email address for verification.
It also doesn’t need verification of names or birthdays (other than being at least 13 years old), and much of the data sent via it is untraceable. We’ll go over that last item in greater detail later.
Is there a link between Kik and a phone number?
While Kik is not unusual in terms of how it delivers messages, it stands out with a unique but divisive attempt to target a certain demographic: Kik appeals to teenagers due to its emphasis on privacy and anonymity. Kik Messenger had 300 million registered users as of 2016, with an estimated 40% of teenagers in the United States using it. Since 2016, it hasn’t released any user data.
The secret is that you don’t need to register your phone number with them. Kikit simply requires your name and email address, allowing you to keep a super-private profile on the site that is only recognized by your username, which is the name you use to sign up. Kik allows you to exchange messages, photographs, videos, sketches, stickers, mobile webpages, emoji, and other information with users on the platform using simply your username as an ID. This is particularly appealing to teen users (the official minimum age is 13) as well as anyone concerned about their privacy.
You don’t have to disclose personal information with others if you use a username instead of a phone number.
On Kik, only your display name, username, and profile image are shown to your conversation partners. They can’t see your email address, phone number, or birthday, but they can see your username if you’re in a Kik group. To help you find your connections, an optional function searches for Kik accounts that match email addresses or phone numbers on your smartphone.
Is it possible to use Kik without a phone number?
Kik is a free software that your youngster can download from the app store on their smartphone or tablet. The app is rated 12+ on the app store, with the following description:
Kik is much more than a messaging app. It’s the simplest way to stay in touch with friends, stay informed, and exploreall through chat. There are no phone numbers required; only choose a username.
Choose who you want to talk to one-on-one or in groups. Photos, movies, gifs, games, and more may all be shared. Make new acquaintances who share your interests.
You may look at the apps your kids are using in the app store if you’re ever curious. You may read a brief description, see photographs, read reviews, and examine the privacy policy and terms of service at the store. This information can be viewed without having to download or purchase the app.
What are the risks associated with using Kik?
The fact that this app, like many others, allows users to remain completely anonymous is what makes it so problematic. Kik does not trace the content of messages or the phone numbers of users, so users can interact without exposing their real names or phone numbers. This makes it difficult for authorities and parents to learn nearly anything about the individual on the other end of the line.
Multiple stories of the app being used to perpetrate horrible crimes have surfaced over time, prompting law enforcement officials to advise parents to erase Kik from their children’s phones entirely. The allure of anonymity is understandable, and it’s one of the reasons why Kik has so many users, but what can be done about the app’s dangers?
In a nutshell, not much. Ted Livingston, the CEO of Kik, believes that messaging is the way of the future, and that “chat is the next once-in-a-decade platform.” If it’s here to stay – and it appears to be – you have to ask if the stigma attached to these apps will have an impact on their lifespan.
How can I make a call without having my phone number appear on my bill?
Stop using Caller ID. The quickest way to rapidly hide phone numbers off the bill is to block caller ID. When making an outbound call, dial *67 before the number to hide caller ID and make the call private.
What appears on your phone bill?
If you have detailed billing, your statement may include sections that specify the number of calls (voice), texts, and picture/video messaging messages you’ve received for each line of service. Date, time, duration, type, to/from number, and charge are all recorded for each call or message made or received.