Thomas Fox-Brewster's recent Forbes post about child exploitation on Kik raises issues that can't be ignored. As Fox-Brewster documents, there have been reports of far too much illegal child abuse material on the service as well as cases of young people being targeted for grooming.
Coincidentally, this report came the same week that my non-profit internet safety organization, ConnectSafely.org, published A Parent's Guide to Kik, to advise parents on how they can help their teens use the messaging service in a safer manner. Notice I said safeR. I added the R because there is no such thing as guaranteed safety when it comes to any digital service, just as there is no such thing as a perfectly safe car, kitchen knife or soccer ball. Virtually everything we do in life has risks, and our job as parents is to minimize those risks for our children, while allowing them to explore, play and learn.
Before I go on, a disclosure. Although ConnectSafely is solely responsible for the content of our guides, Kik does provide financial support to our organization as do Facebook, Google, Linkedin, Twitter and several other technology companies.
I agree with Fox-Brewster and the experts he quotes that Kik has work to do to better police its community and make its app safer. In my own conversations with Kik executives, the company has pledged to beef up its safety and reporting tools and, as CEO Ted Livingston told Forbes, "we are continuing to increase our investment in this area, as safety is a priority for us." Still, as I'll get to later, Kik does have tools that kids can use to shield themselves from unwanted contact and, while they're not perfect, those tools -- along with some basic safety advice -- can go a long way towards providing the approximately 15 million active monthly users with a safer and more pleasant experience.
What's a parent to do
While I don't recommended doing so, I wouldn't blame a parent for at least thinking about deleting the Kik app from their child's phone. But, in almost all cases, that's a bad idea. For one thing, if kids are kicked off Kik, they will likely gravitate towards another app which could have far more problems. Kik, despite the concerns raised by Fox-Brewster's post, is a responsible company that's trying to address the problems and create a safer environment and that's more than I can say for some other apps that are available.
It's also important to remember that for some young users, Kik is a vital part of their personal friendship network. True, there are those who abuse the service and a few people who have had some very bad experiences, but the vast majority of the millions of people who use Kik daily have mostly good experiences because they're using it to communicate with people who they already know or who they have an affinity with, such as groups of people who share their interests and passions about their hobbies, favorite sports teams, musical groups, political candidates or anything else that interests them.
But it's also important to remember that, when it comes to messaging and social media, the way young people use the app can go a very long way towards making it safer. As we say in our Parent's Guide:
All communication platforms have risks if users aren’t careful about how they protect their personal information. There’s also always risk that users will misuse the application, bully, harass others, or send unwanted messages. Teaching teens to respect themselves and each other in both physical and online spaces will go a long way toward creating positive and safe communities, including those on Kik."
Blocking and reporting
Like most services, Kik has tools that allow users to block other users and report those who misuse the service. Kik users can block anyone who sends offensive or annoying messages or anyone they simply don’t want to chat with. The conversation will automatically be hidden from the blocker’s conversation list, but can be restored if the blocker later unblocks the account.
Users can also report any user or any group that violates Kik’s Community Standards. The reporter can choose to remove the conversation from their device, and the reported person or group will not know who reported them.
Chatting with people you don't already know
As we advise in all of our specific guides, "teens should exercise caution should they choose to accept chats from people they don’t know." And Kik makes that the default through its “New Chats” feature that puts messages from people users haven’t previously chatted with in a separate section. The New Chats section blurs any images and videos sent by these accounts. Your teen has the option to chat with the new user (which will un-blur the content), or they can also choose to delete, block, or report the person without ever having to review the content. Parents should talk with their Kik using teens about this feature and remind them as to why it's important to be very careful about who they interact with. Also, regardless of the service they use, teens should be reminded to pull the plug on any conversation that makes them uncomfortable, especially if the topic turns toward sex or personal details that they ought not share with someone they don't know from outside the service.
Protection against predators
Sadly, there are people in this world who would, if given the chance, sexually abuse children and teens. But, it's important to know that in the vast majority of cases, the youth knows and often trusts the perpetrator. Cases of sexual exploitation where the victim and abuser first met online are extremely rare, according to research by the Crimes Against Children Research Center. And, while I would never blame a victim, it is important to know that these crimes can be avoided by not engaging with these individuals and never arranging an in-person meeting with someone you don't already know. ConnectSafely has tips and advice on how to stay safe online, including dealing with would-be predators and sextortion, where individuals threaten to share nude pictures unless the victims gives them sex, money or something else.
Public groups
One area where teens might meet people they don't already know are in Kik's public groups that are often organized around interests and hobbies along with a variety of other topics.
Public Groups are searchable to anybody and, as long as there’s room in the group, anyone can join. Private groups allow users to have more control over who they connect with, as users must receive an invite in order to join. Whether in a public or private group, teens should be aware that the messages they send in these groups can be seen by anyone in the group. Parents should also remind teens to be very careful about the types of conversations they’re having with folks in groups that they may not know. If the conversation goes off-topic, especially if it gets personal or sexual, they may want to consider reporting or blocking the user, or leaving that group. Users can also report an entire group.
Conversations are a parent's most potent tool
You've heard this before, and it's true regardless of whether we're talking about a messaging app, drugs, bicycle riding or any other activity that has risks, but it's worth repeating that parents should have regular conversations with their kids.These talks should never be lectures or inquisitions, but casual conversations where you ask your teen what apps they use and how they protect their safety, privacy and security when using those apps.
It's also important to remember that critical thinking and some basic understanding of how to behave in digital spaces will go a long way not only in protecting your kids on Kik, but on other services or apps, including those that haven't yet been invented. Not only will this type of thinking protect kids in digital spaces, but in other aspects of their lives as they grow up including dating, driving, alcohol drug use, shopping and even voting.
Larry Magid is CEO of ConnectSafely.org, a non-profit internet safety organization that provides resources for parents and educators about internet safety, privacy and security. ConnectSafely receives financial support from several technology companies, including Kik.
