Kik is a trendy smartphone app that quite a few people have started using-- especially as more and more people upgrade to using Smartphones
Take a look at the comments below– these comments were all left on just one day and there are thousands more like them. It’s clear that some people blatantly use Kik to send and receive nude pictures. Some call it sexting. Others call it child pornography. I call it creepy.
While we are sure that many people use Kik to simply send messages to friends, the fact that it is very popular for sexting leads one to believe it is not a good choice for kids. Given that there are many other free texting apps available, including iMessage which is already included for iPod touch, there is no need for Kik on a child’s mobile device.
Kik and Instagram
On Kik, you need to know someone’s username to start an online chat. Some Kik users use Instagram to publicize their Kik username in their profiles or by tagging their photos. You’ll see some users with “Kik me” and then their Kik username in their profile. If your child or teen’s Instagram profile is public, and they use it to publicize their Kik username, then anyone who sees that on Instagram might “hit them up” on Kik. So keep this in mind if you allow your child or teen to use Instagram. (taken from http://www.bewebsmart.com/internet-safety/is-kik-okay-for-kids/)
