

Kik targets teensīefore we get into the functionality that makes Kik a dangerous app for kids and teens, it’s important to know that teens are a primary audience for the company.Įven though the app is listed as 17+ in app stores, according to Kik’s own documentation, the app is targeting teens.

To be clear, Kik isn’t that different from other messaging apps, but there are multiple reasons its popularity among teens can cause alarm when it comes to online safety. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)-it was narrowly saved by being acquired. Kik initially tried to monetize the app through an unregistered cryptocurrency and was nearly shut down. One key feature of Kik is the bot chat function, which is primarily used by brands to create engagement through the use of automated responses. Specifically, Kik has a history of cyberbullying, child grooming, and even murder. It has gained a reputation as one of the least safe messaging apps available. Kik is a popular messaging app among kids and teens that prioritizes anonymity. Kik is one of many options for a direct messaging app that has been riding that growth to over 300 million users, and a reputation that precedes it (not in a good way). There were just over 3 billion users in 2021 and estimates put that number closer to 3.5 billion by 2025. Despite almost 800,000 monthly users, its daily trading volume is less than a million, and its coin is worth just $0.000008, meaning that those who bought it at launch have lost 92 percent of their original investment.Direct messaging apps have had explosive growth over the past decade. Kin’s value has since tanked even further. The SEC’s press release at the time stated that, despite the amount of money Kin raised, Kin tokens traded at “about half of the value that public investors paid in the offering.” The Kik corporation has aggressively retaliated, spending millions of dollars to overturn the SEC’s ruling. Back in June, the SEC said that Kin’s ICO, which raised $100 million, was unregistered. Kik had previously announced late last month it would shut down its messaging app to fund its battle with the SEC, as well as cutting its staff from 100 to just 19. Kik’s tweet yesterday did not confirm this, but said that further details would be coming soon.


Livingston also claimed that the potential purchaser wants to keep Kik’s integration with Kin, its blockchain network with almost 800,000 monthly users.
