Attorney General William Tong has initiated an investigation into MediaLab.AI Inc., the parent company of the messaging app Kik, in response to serious allegations regarding inadequate age verification and content moderation practices. These shortcomings have led child safety advocates to label Kik as a “predator’s paradise.”
Concerns Over Kik’s Safety Measures
In a statement, Attorney General Tong expressed his deep concerns about Kik, describing it as “a parent’s worst nightmare.” He emphasized the app’s troubling reputation for being a platform rife with sexual abuse, exploitation, and bullying, all exacerbated by the absence of effective age verification and protective measures. “Our investigation demands detailed answers from MediaLab regarding their unacceptable record on child safety and privacy,” he stated, highlighting the ongoing commitment of his office to hold tech companies accountable for their practices.
Kik, which has been operational since 2010, has gained considerable traction among minors, with over one-third of American teens reportedly using the app. This popularity can be attributed to Kik’s historically lax registration process, which allowed users to create accounts without verifying their identity through email or phone numbers. Currently, Kik lacks technological tools to monitor for underage users and relies on a reactive approach to content moderation, raising significant concerns about the safety of its young user base.
Documented Risks and Regulatory Actions
According to a 2025 report by parental monitoring app Bark, Kik ranked as the second worst app for extreme sexual content and the third worst for severe bullying. The National Center on Child Exploitation (NCOSE) has included Kik on its “Dirty Dozen” list, citing rampant child sexual exploitation driven by the app’s design flaws and insufficient safety measures. In a test conducted by NCOSE, a test account created with the username “Im12BeNice” received a barrage of sexual solicitations within moments, underscoring the app’s alarming vulnerabilities.
Despite these serious issues, MediaLab has continued to market Kik to younger audiences. Although the company claims to have restricted new users to those aged 18 and older as of September 2023, there is little evidence that it actively removed younger users from the platform. In fact, as late as September 2024, MediaLab advertised Kik as suitable for children over 13, and the Google Play store maintained a “Teen” rating for the app until early 2025. Furthermore, MediaLab only updated its Terms of Service to prohibit minors from using Kik in February 2025, with additional changes to its privacy notice occurring months later.
Legal Proceedings and Future Actions
The Attorney General’s office first issued a notice of violation to MediaLab in July 2025, identifying numerous deficiencies in Kik’s privacy practices. These included the processing of sensitive data without proper consent, encompassing information related to race, religion, health, and more. Despite multiple inquiries, MediaLab has only partially addressed these privacy concerns, prompting the Attorney General to issue a new civil investigative demand for comprehensive records related to the company’s data processing and content moderation practices.
This investigation is part of a broader initiative by Attorney General Tong to safeguard children in Connecticut from online threats. His office is currently engaged in ongoing investigations into other platforms, including Roblox and TikTok. Recently, Tong announced a historic .1 billion settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc., aimed at enforcing new safety reforms on Instagram and Facebook to protect young users. Connecticut is set to receive up to 6.1 million from this settlement, with a significant portion allocated to addressing youth-related harms stemming from social media.
Assistant Attorneys General Jordan Levin, Laura Martella, Rebecca Borné, Tess Schneider, Deputy Associate Attorney General Michele Lucan, and Chief of the Privacy Section Michael Wertheimer are collaborating with Attorney General Tong on this critical matter.
- Twitter: @AGWilliamTong
- Facebook: CT Attorney General
Media Contact:
Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov
Consumer Inquiries:
860-808-5318
attorney.general@ct.gov
