While the chat rooms and the risk that children are prosecuted by online predators may seem a thing of past, this threat is still alive. In fact, it has only become more difficult to detect with the advancement of technology, thanks to things like the popular social media websites and messaging applications. As the New York Times pointed out, one of these particularly messaging applications, called Kik, has been linked to online predators more than once, which should trigger alarms for parents everywhere. Because safety has been questioned during Kik many times, it is important as a parent to know exactly what the application is, how it works and whether or not you should allow your children use.
What Kik?
If you check in on Instagram profiles of their friends or your child, you may have seen something like "add me on Kik" and wondered what it meant. Kik is a free instant messaging application available for iOS, Android and Windows devices. The application allows users to send messages, pictures and videos, and is extremely popular among teenagers, especially because it has a factor of anonymity than ordinary text messaging can not offer. This basically means anyone with access to an Internet-enabled device, whether a smartphone or tablet can download the application, create a user name and start chatting with other users on Kik. Unlike WhatsApp, which connects to your mobile phone number before allowing you to create an account, anyone who downloads the Kik application can easily create a new account using only an email address and create a password.
It is just as easy as creating an anonymous account on Kik connects with other Kik users. As someone has your username, they can message without you approve or accept all message requests first. This means that if foreigners can guess your username, you are free to message without notice. This is particularly worrying for parents with young children, because the application has more than 300 million users worldwide, with over 40% of young Americans, according to the Kik site, using the application for chat instantly with other users, no matter who they are.
Should I allow my children to use Kik?
The same concept applies whether or not you should give your child a smartphone, applies to applications that you allow them to use as well, because it is completely at the discretion of the parent. That said, there are some things parents should know before making a decision on Kik. As if Apple vs FBI, there were also court orders with Kik to deliver messages exchanged on the application, as detailed in The New York Times link above. Although Kik is able to deliver the newspapers of messages sent and received on the application and has done in the past with regard to minors, the deleted messages can not be traced. This makes it harder to catch predators and persecutors that suppress the history of their message in an attempt to cover their tracks. And because Kik users are not required to connect to their account phone number, it is even more difficult to follow which is the messaging of your children on the application.
As many parents know, online predators are not the only thing to worry about when it comes to children and online safety. Cyberbullying is another very real threat that parents should always be on the lookout for. If your child wants to use Kik, make sure you talk with them about the dangers of sharing personal information, including their user names Kik, on other social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook as this makes it even easier for foreigners to get in touch with them on the application. If you do not want your child using the application to all Kik offers some tips on how parents can.
And because Kik is not the only anonymous enforcement there, it is important for parents to stay in the know on what social media websites and applications their children use, and how exactly these job applications. Make sure to follow our Parental Control blog to learn more about protecting your children online.