Young children are exposed to the digital world pretty early on, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to protect them from online dangers. Parents are advised to be cautious when it comes to instant messaging, and Kik is one of the most popular messaging platforms for young people. How does Kik work? Can it pose a threat to young people? What is the procedure for deleting a Kik account?
How Does Kik Work?
Kik Messenger, sometimes referred to as just Kik, is a free mobile messaging app for iOS and Android systems. The app lets users exchange private messages and share videos and photos. The app is extremely popular with teenagers.
Your email, birthdate, and username are all you need to use Kik. This means that other users see the bare minimum about you. Your messaging histories are also deleted after a certain period of time. It also has various privacy issues, such as IP logging and no end-to-end encryption.
Why Should You Delete Your Kik Account?
There are several reasons why you should delete your Kik account:
- Exploitation and online threats. Child exploitation is a problem on any app that allows people to remain relatively anonymous. This also applies to social media apps like Kik. It is also difficult for researchers to obtain data from the company to investigate these cases. To address this issue, the company has instituted more stringent measures.
- Lack of parental control. Parents cannot control how their children use Kik. Although minors should have their parents’ permission to use the app, they can easily circumvent this by entering a false birthdate.
- Poor privacy. The Kik service does not have end-to-end encryption, so a third party can read your messages if they wish. Additionally, the company can see your IP and find out where you are. Cybercriminals can also intercept messages more easily without encryption.
- Users cannot verify identities. Kik allows users to log in without providing a valid email address or phone number, so a user’s identity can’t be verified. The result is a lack of accountability and transparency among users that can lead to scams, exploitation, and cyberbullying.
- Lack of transparency. Kik’s code is not open to independent review, so it is not really transparent. There were no independent audits of its design, nor was it properly documented.
- Many safer messaging apps exist. See our list of secure messaging apps for more information.
How To Permanently Delete Your Kik Account
You can permanently delete your Kik account by following these steps:
- Navigate to this page. Enter your credentials and the reason for leaving, and click the checkbox.
- Click the Go button.
- You’ll receive an email from Kik. Click the link.
- Follow the instructions to permanently deactivate the account.
Your account will be deleted permanently. You will no longer receive notifications, and no one will be able to view your profile or username in the app. Your account will not be able to be reactivated, so if you want to access the app again you’ll need to create a new profile. The same steps apply to both Android and iPhone systems.
Please note that you will lose all of your posts and comments as well as your ability to use this app. If you want to continue posting and using this app, please sign out of your account and sign in with a new one. You are signing up for a new account. You are not logged into an existing account. You are now signed in with your email address. Click here to change your password and login with your new password.
Deactivating Your Kik Account
We just showed you how to delete your Kik account. This time we’ll show you how to deactivate it. The process is quite straightforward. Enter your email address here and follow the instructions.
So what’s the difference between deletion and deactivation? You don’t receive any correspondence when you deactivate Kik, no one can find your username, and no one will be able to find you in the contact list. You can still sign in to your Kik account if you sign out again, and it won’t be permanently deleted.