WASHINGTON, DC (June 5, 2026) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) warns that the Kik app is extremely dangerous for children, after a NCOSE researcher created an account posing as a 12-year-old and, within seconds, was inundated with sexually abusive messages from strangers.
Kik has been on NCOSE’s Dirty Dozen List in previous years for rampant child sexual exploitation. Following its inclusion on the list, Kik appeared to implement several of NCOSE’s recommendations for child safety.
However, a new NCOSE review found that, despite Kik’s proclaimed safety changes and 18+ policy, Kik has no age verification, allowing the creation of obvious minor accounts. Kik still connects users with strangers, its sexual content filters do not work, and Kik does not require a verified email – or any verification whatsoever.
Posing as a 12-year-old girl, a NCOSE researcher created an account “Im12BeNice.” Within seconds, the account began receiving messages from strangers. The first message received: “just hopped out of the shower, drying off <3.” The second: “lets do a live call masturbating.” The third: A nude photo. The fourth: A photo of someone taking off their underwear, with a link “take-me-today.” The fifth: A nude photo. To date, the NCOSE researcher’s account is still being inundated with messages that are exclusively sexual in nature.
“Our pressure test of Kik’s proclaimed safety changes indicates that the platform fails to protect children and remains a ‘predator’s paradise.’ In fact, this failure reveals that Kik is misleading the public to the direct detriment of children who will inevitably be sexually abused by strangers. This cannot stand, and Kik must urgently address this issue,” said Haley McNamara, Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer, National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
“When a digital platform has safety mechanisms that do not work as advertised, children can be harmed. There needs to be accountability. Congress can and must pass the Kids Online Safety Act to hold platforms accountable. Additionally, we urge the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Kik for its misleading safety controls. It is unconscionable that children can be sexually abused on a platform that falsely claims its safety controls will protect children.”
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-profit organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.
To schedule an interview with NCOSE, please contact press@ncose.com.
