For parents, finding a child-friendly messaging app for their kids can be a challenge. Apps like Instagram and Snapchat might be popular, but they're also designed with an older audience in mind. However, there are some safer messaging apps for kids that are great at keeping your children connected, and are also security conscious.
Kinzoo: Free, with subscription options and paid add-ons
Kinzoo Messenger is an ad-free messenger application. Kinzoo doesn’t use follower counts, or streaks, just communication between children, their friends and their family. When children want to connect with a new contact, Kinzoo notifies parents who can approve or decline the connection. Kinzoo Messenger also offers group and audio calls that can work with popular children’s games such as Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite. It looks and feels like a social media app, with games, wallpapers, stickers and filters - but with far less risk. Kinzoo Messenger is free, with some paid features like additional stickers.
Kinzoo Together is a video call app to help children to connect with the adults in their life. Whilst it's difficult to get children to video call for a significant length of time, with Kinzoo children can play two-player games, read stories and draw together when family calls. There are over 400 books on the app, and children can even upload their own books so they can read their favourite story. Kinzoo Together has different subscription options, but their free to use option includes 5 books, 1 game and 2 activities. Only one person needs a subscription, and just like Kinzoo Messenger, parents approve every person who wants to connect.
Stars: Free, with paid add-ons
The Stars App is also a great option for parents who are looking for safer messaging applications. Stars doesn’t rely on a phone number or a username; instead to connect with someone, you need both the username and the person’s Friend Code. There is no search feature, and you can reset your Friend Code at any time, meaning that you are always in control of who can message you and connect with you on the app.
There are no advertisements, and messages are encrypted as standard. Stars also offers a paid Parent View feature, where parents can see the friends and groups that their child is in, as well as the conversations they have had, and the images, videos and links that they have shared. Stars also has a handy Time Spent feature, so you can see how long your child has been using the app for.
JusTalk Family: Free, with paid add-ons
Like the alternatives, JusTalk Family has video and audio calls and instant messenger. With JusTalk Family, you can also record memories whilst you’re on calls, and any connections have to be approved by a parent first, which means nobody can contact your child without your knowledge or awareness.
JusTalk Family has a dedicated Parent Dashboard, which allows parents to keep track of their child’s activities within the app. One of the great features from JusTalk Family is the Sensitive Content Warning/ When your child receives a message from someone, the app flags content which it believes could be sensitive; for example, if it could be bullying, violent or sexual. Parents can then view the message themselves, and deny it to display to the child before it has been seen by them. The app also allows real-time location sharing, so you can keep track of where your children are without using an app like Google Maps.
