Kik, a chat app, has been associated with a barrage of news items concerning predators communicating with teenagers and worse. If you want to delete Kik or help your child delete it, here are the steps.
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What is Kik?
Why delete Kik?
Deactivating vs. deleting a Kik account
How to deactivate your Kik account
How to permanently delete a Kik account
How long does Kik store your account information?
Is Kik safe to use?
What is Kik?
Kik Messenger is a chat app that’s gained popularity among teenagers. In fact, it was developed for teenagers. It allows users to send messages, photos, and videos to friends and family, just like any other chat app. One key difference though is it lets you chat with strangers in groups, which are formed based on interests. Within the app, users can also play games, create memes, and more.
Why delete Kik?
There are various reasons someone might want to step back from the platform. They might have concerns over privacy, physical safety (with users, who are often teenagers, being able to chat with strangers), harassment, or too much screen time. They might simply find themselves not using the app as much as WhatsApp or other popular chat services and want to declutter their phone.
Deactivating vs. deleting a Kik account
Temporarily deactivating your Kik account means you can no longer receive Kik messages, and your username won’t be searchable, and you will be deleted from the contact lists of people you’ve chatted with. You can regain access by logging in to your account.
Permanently deleting your Kik account means your account is no longer accessible, and you won’t be searchable on Kik, and your profile will be deleted from contact lists of people you’ve talked to. Deleting your Kik account is permanent; you cannot get it back or access any info in it once it’s deleted.
How to deactivate your Kik account
The steps below guide you through how to temporarily deactivate your Kik account through your browser, as you can’t do this in the smartphone app.
- Head to ws.kik.com/deactivate, you’ll see the screen below:
2. Enter the email address you used to sign up for a Kik account and press Go
3. Kik will then send you a link through your email to confirm your deactivation
How to permanently delete a Kik account
Follow the instructions below to permanently delete your Kik account through your browser. You cannot do so in the app.
1. Go to ws.kik.com/delete, and you’ll see the screen below:
2. Once you’ve inputted the required details, click Go
3. You’ll then receive an email to confirm that you want to delete your account
4. Follow the steps in the email you received to delete your account permanently
Once you’ve deleted your Kik account, it takes effect immediately, so you won’t be able to access it, and it cannot be recovered.
How long does Kik store your account information?
Kik does not specify how long it takes to delete your information. Its privacy policy says that it could keep your information for as long as necessary for investigative purposes in cases such as a dispute or a terms of service violation.
To ensure that Kik deletes as much of your information as possible, fill out its privacy contact form, which allows you to request a deletion under GDPR and CCPA rules.
Is Kik safe to use?
Just like any online service, Kik can provide a safe experience if the user takes precautions. A few tips include only connecting with people you know, choosing a username that can’t be identified as you, and being very selective about participating in any public chat groups.
Kik does offer users anonymity, but presents other safety challenges. Because Kik is targeted at teenagers but without safeguards to prevent adults from using it, online predators do masquerade as young people to try to interact with minors. There are plenty of new items concerning predators persuading children to send nude photos or to meet up with them.
There are no parental controls on Kik, so parents should use parental controls on their children’s phones to prevent them from installing Kik without their knowledge. If you receive inappropriate content or are being harassed on Kik, report the offending account and email [email protected] with details.
FAQ: About deleting Kik account
Can you delete a Kik account without email?
You cannot delete your Kik account without the registered email address. If you’ve forgotten your email address or are experiencing problems with deleting Kik, you can visit Kik’s Help Center or email [email protected].
What will happen if I uninstall Kik?
Uninstalling the app simply means that you are removing Kik from your device, which disables your ability to access your account via the app. Despite this, depending on your system’s settings, your account might still receive messages. These messages are generally stored for a limited time, often around a week, and will be automatically deleted if they remain undelivered.
Does Kik delete inactive accounts?
In its terms of service, Kik says it might terminate an account or reclaim usernames that have been inactive for at least three months.
Does Kik ban accounts?
Yes, in its terms of service, Kik says it does ban accounts that violate its Community Standards and terms of service.
