KIK

[badRoly]

This is prompted by another thread.

Due to an incident that happened a few years ago, I have been very proactive about Internet safety and my DC. The family PC is in the kitchen, we talk openly about 'stranger danger', grooming, giving out personal info, sending/ watching videos, bullying etc and have done our best to put appropriate parental controls on anything that connects to the Internet. I have attended talks put on by CEOP at the local school.

I am aware that I don't know it all but I am doing everything I can to try and help teach my DC to use the Internet safely without being too controlling and causing them to use things like Facebook secretly.

DC1 (14) is very open about letting me check her phone/iPad. However she has recently started using KIK which I know nothing about.

Please can anyone who uses KIK explain how it works and if there is anything I should be doing to keep an eye on things.

Thank you

Haven't used KIK myself, was very big a few years ago and is essentially a messaging app. Lots of red flags for me though as A couple of dd's friends had it and were inundated with strangers sending disgusting photos of themselves and requesting pictures back and sending explicit messages. Essentially anyone, anywhere can message you or "add" you and obviously this is a gateway to lots of nasty things. Definitely make her delete it and sit her down and remind her of the dangers of the internet and staying safe on social media.

it's basically whatsapp but you dont need a sim card. I have it to chat with my nieces. I have had a couple of odd messages, people I don't know saying hi, but only a few a year. make sure your child knows never to open anything from someone they don't know and trust.

Great, thank you both. I have put it on my phone and will talk with her about what you've both said.

It's a blinking minefield parenting in the digital age