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How to delete Kik account? Children start their digital lives at a young age, and it is increasingly difficult to protect them from online dangers. Parent should be cautious when it comes to instant messaging, and Kik is one of the most popular platforms for young people. So what is Kik? Why is it a potential threat? And how can you delete the Kik account?
What is Kik?
Kik Messenger, also known as Kik, is a free mobile messaging application for iOS and Android mobile devices. You can use it to exchange private messages and to share videos and photos with other users. It has proven to be extremely popular among teenagers.
Logging into Kik requires only an email address, birthdate, and username. As a result, other users see only the bare minimum information about each other. The app also deletes messages after a certain period of time. However, it also has privacy issues, including IP logging and a lack of end-to-end encryption.
Why should you delete the Kik account?
There are quite a few reasons why you might want to delete your Kik account:
- Exploitation and online threats. Child exploitation is a problem on any app that allows users to remain anonymous. This includes Kik and many other social media applications. It is also difficult for researchers to obtain data from the company to investigate these cases. The company has taken stricter measures to combat these threats, however.
- Lack of parental control. Teenagers can use Kik without their parents’ permission. Minors should have their parents’ permission to use the app, but they can easily get around this by entering a false birthdate.
- Poor privacy. As Kik doesn’t have end-to-end encryption, the service providers can view all your messages if they wish or give them away to third parties. They can also see your IP address and find out where you are. The lack of encryption also makes it easier for cybercriminals to intercept users’ messages.
- Users cannot verify identities. Because Kik users can log in without a valid email address or phone number, it is very difficult to verify someone’s identity. This encourages a lack of accountability and transparency among users, which can lead to scams, exploitations, and cyberbullying.
- Lack of transparency. As its code cannot be independently reviewed, Kik is not really transparent. The design was also not properly documented, and it was not independently audited.
- There are tons of safer messaging apps. Check out our list of secure messaging apps.
How do I permanently delete my Kik account?
- You should follow these steps to permanently delete your Kik account:
- Please refer to this page. Please enter your credentials and the reason for leaving, and then tick the box below.
- Click Go!.
- You will receive an email from Kik. Open it.
- Choose Permanently Deactivate and follow the instructions.
Your account will be permanently deleted. You will no longer receive notifications, and nobody will be able to view your username or profile in the app. Your account cannot be reactivated, so if you want to access the app again, you’ll have to create a new profile. This applies to both Android and iPhone systems.
How to deactivate Kik account
You just learned how to delete your Kik account. Now let’s see how to deactivate it. It’s a pretty simple process.
What is the difference between deactivation and deletion? If you deactivate Kik, you stop receiving all correspondence from the app, nobody will be able to find your username, and you will not appear in contact lists. The Kik account won’t be permanently deleted, and it will be reactivated if you sign in again.
Deactivate or delete your Kik account without an email
If you can’t remember your email address, you won’t be able to delete your account. In this case, you can contact Kik support.
Deleting or deactivating your kid’s Kik account
You can request Kik to delete your child’s account by contacting the company. Additionally, you can submit a deactivation inquiry by sending a message to [email protected] with the subject line “Parent Inquiry.” In the message, you must specify the reason for deletion and list your child’s Kik username and email address. We will contact you shortly.
You will still need the username and email address your child used to create the account. This information can be found by logging into their Kik account and clicking the gear icon in the top-left corner. From there, you can see the display name and user name of your child.
You can also delete it via the Kik form mentioned above. You just need to have access to the email account associated with the Kik profile.
Keep in mind that you can’t monitor your kid’s Kik conversations from your device since Kik doesn’t share chat content across devices.