Investigation Launched into Kik’s Child Safety Practices
In a significant move, Attorney General William Tong has initiated an investigation into MediaLab.AI Inc., the parent company of the messaging app Kik. This announcement, made on September 9, 2026, in Hartford, Connecticut, comes in response to growing concerns over the platform’s ability to safeguard minors from potential dangers.
Describing Kik as a “predator’s paradise,” Tong emphasized the alarming lack of adequate age verification and content screening measures on the app. He highlighted that approximately one-third of American teenagers utilize Kik to communicate with friends and businesses, with a staggering 70% of its users falling within the 13 to 24 age bracket.
“Kik is a parent’s worst nightmare — a cesspool of sexual abuse, exploitation, and bullying, with no meaningful age verification or protections,” Tong stated. He called for comprehensive answers from MediaLab regarding their troubling record on child safety and privacy.
Pointing to a report from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), Tong noted that Kik had been identified as a leading app for exposing children to severe sexual content. The app was included in NCOSE’s “Dirty Dozen” list, which highlights companies that facilitate or profit from sexual abuse and exploitation. The report indicated that over 2,000 federal cases from 2014 to 2020 involved Kik.
In light of these concerns, MediaLab has taken steps to enhance child protection, including reclassifying the app to an 18+ rating and activating explicit content filters by default. However, requests for comment from MediaLab have gone unanswered. On its community standards page, Kik asserts its commitment to being an 18+ platform with a “zero tolerance” policy towards child abuse and exploitation.
Despite these reforms, both NCOSE and the attorney general’s office argue that MediaLab’s efforts fall short. They assert that the company has not established an effective age verification system in the United States, only implementing such measures in the UK where it is mandated by law. Furthermore, they claim that the content filters are inadequate, citing an instance where a fake minor account created by NCOSE received explicit messages mere seconds after activation.
“Kik has age gating in the UK, and their response to investigators has been, ‘Well, it’s against the law in the UK not to age gate,’” Tong remarked. “However, they are also required to implement age verification in Connecticut, as per a recently passed law.”
Additionally, the investigation will examine Kik’s compliance with the Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA), particularly regarding the handling of sensitive data without proper consent. This includes data related to race, religious beliefs, health, sexual orientation, and precise geolocation, among others.
In light of these findings, Tong urged parents to take proactive measures by checking their children’s devices for the Kik app. He acknowledged the potential for conflict but stressed the importance of safeguarding children from the app’s risks. “I understand it’s difficult, and there may be some drama in your household at the kitchen table,” he said. “But I would still tell you, get those devices, look at them, and remove the app if it’s there.”
