The Brief: Kik is a free anonymous messaging app.

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Kik allows users to find each other via username and to communicate with text, emojis, GIFs, and pictures. Kik is free to use and anyone can make an account without having a phone number. Users can find each other via username or by sending them a link to their account. On Kik, users can also chat with, play games with, or do quizzes through bots. The app allows people to create group chats or one-on-one correspondences.

Although Kik can be used for a variety of online communications, due to its anonymity features, it has a reputation for being a sexting app.

Safety & Privacy

Users must be at least 13 to use Kik. However, someone could easily input an incorrect birthday to register as a minor.

Because it is an anonymous app, there are risks of trolling, cyberbullying, catfishing, and sexting taking place on the app. Some parents and teenagers have reported that strangers approached kids on the app, sending them inappropriate sexual content and soliciting them for nudes.

Kik has measures in place to report inappropriate behavior and content after someone comes across it. The site has an official guide for parents looking for more information on how their children may be using the app. In addition, internet privacy and safety practices should be employed.