In this digital era, social chat apps (WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. ) play an important role in helping people stay connected. You know children love to keep in touch with one another through the web, don’t they? Well! As a parent, it is paramount for you to understand the apps they are engaging with, their features, and the risks that they pose to foster your kid’s social life.
In this article, we’ll provide you with deep insight into the top 10 popular social chat apps in 2025 that you should definitely monitor! So, continue reading!
What’s the role of social chat apps?
Social messaging apps serve a critical function within your social networks. They facilitate communication between friends, family, and even colleagues. You only need to tap to send a message, make video calls, or share images via mobile. We can say that thanks to these apps, communication has become faster, more convenient, and accessible no matter where you are in the world.
Why are social chat apps so popular?
To millions, online chat apps have become a fundamental part of life. This is so because, apart from messaging, they can do more, making chatting effective and entertaining. For instance,
- Real-time communication: One of the key factors contributing to the widespread popularity of these apps is the ability to send messages in real-time. You can message anyone from any location, no matter the time, which makes communication easier.
- Cross-device access and support: These applications can be used on phones, tablets, and even computers. This means that one can switch devices and stay connected, regardless of location.
- Entertainment and fun elements: The amazing thing is that Sender and recipient both can use emojis, stickers, GIFs, and even filters to communicate. Many include games, stories, and status updates for more engaging conversation.
- Group connections and communities: These apps offer the feature of creating community groups by interest, which lets you meet other people, interact, and participate in enjoyable activities.
Relevance for parents
Parents must know the impact these apps would have on their children. These applications enable your children to communicate with their peers and develop new friendships, as well as learn to socialize; but there are some dangers too.
Those children who remain online 24/7 are more prone to fall prey to online bullying and obscene materials. So, as a parent, it is your responsibility to educate your children on responsible online chat app use. Being a role model and appropriately using apps yourself greatly helps mitigate the risks.
Moreover, according to Statista reports, over 90 percent of American teenagers interact and socialize using some social media or messaging platforms.
Know the chat apps your kids use and keep them fun and safe online with FlashGet Kids.
10 best free social chat apps parents should stay informed
One of the zones of contention nowadays is the effect of social media on kids and teenagers. These encompass a range of positive and negative aspects, such as enabling communication along with cyber crimes and mental health issues.
In this section, we will look at the potential apps the child and teen might be using and also will help you make the best decision based on the current landscape.
i) WhatsApp
Age: 13+
Key features:
- Text, Voice and video messaging.
- Group chats and status updates.
- Forward images, videos, and documents.
- Voice messages and calls.
What parents should know:
Encrypted messages on WhatsApp can prove hard for you to track your teen’s chatting. Moreover, settings around group chats may allow your child to talk to strangers or thus get exposed to inappropriate content. Thus, it is essential to check how long your child is using WhatsApp and also some of the group settings you have enabled.
ii) WeChat
Age group: 13+
Key features:
- Text, Voice, and video calls.
- Social moments for sharing updates.
- Updates and adoring captions to images which can be used to enable selfies.
- An inbuilt payment system for shopping and transfers.
- Mini programs for games and services.
What parents should know:
People all over the world, especially in China, use WeChat for a variety of purposes. WeChat exposes teenagers to unwanted social interactions through its social moments feature and app-supported payments. Your teens may add nearby strangers, access countless mini-games, or scroll through various videos on the app, so make sure your teen understands the importance of protection and privacy.
3. Facebook Messenger
Age group: 13+ (With a Facebook account)
Key features:
- Send texts, and voicemails, and make video calls.
- Includes emojis, GIFs, and even interactive games.
- Chat with people connected to their Facebook accounts.
- Share photos, videos, and voice notes.
What parents should know:
Through Facebook Messenger, people with Facebook accounts can be contacted. This might make it easier for teens to communicate with strangers which imposes a danger to their safety. So, pay attention closely to the privacy settings to limit who can send messages to your teens and what information is given.
4. Telegram
Age group: 13+
Key features:
- Secret chats with self-destructing messages.
- Has group chats for up to 200,000 members.
- File sharing with unlimited cloud storage.
- Supports customizable themes and bots.
What parents should know:
Telegram comes with a secret chat that allows messages to vanish. This makes it more challenging to keep track of conversations. Furthermore, the app allows for massive group chats, file sharing, and other features that make it easier for teens to view adult content or communicate with strangers.
As a parent, it is important to protect your child from such exposure and set privacy controls while educating them on these dangers.
v) Snapchat
Age group: 13+
Key features:
- Photos and messages that self-destruct.
- Creative filters, lenses and stickers for photos/videos.
- Stories feature to post updates to friends.
- Snap Map to see friends’ location at the moment.
What parents should know:
Snapchat can be particularly prone to safety issues. Although sharing snaps may be fun, it is important to keep an eye on with whom your teen is sharing snaps and on what platform they are posting.
You know Snapchat self-destructing messages can complicate things and make it harder to track conversations that are potentially dangerous to your child.
vi) Discord
Age group:13+
Key features:
- VIP and video calls.
- Support for gaming, hobbies and studying.
- Sharing of images, videos and links in both public and private chats.
- Group chats that are compiled into servers according to particular interests.
What parents should know:
Even though Discord is a well-known platform for creating and joining fun gaming communities, its open servers and channels can allow teens to have inappropriate conversations or meet impressionable people secretly.
vii) Signal
Age group: 13+
Key features:
- Self-deleting messages for additional privacy.
- Text, voice and video calling with end-to-end encryption.
- There’s no advertising or tracking; the focus is only on security.
- Supported on multiple platforms (phone and desktop).
What parents should know:
The Signal app, to this day, is recognized for its privacy features. However, as a result of its encryption, parents cannot effectively monitor their children’s conversations. While it is a safer app in terms of compromise to data protection, there is still the risk of exposure to harmful content or interactions.
viii) Kik Messenger
Age group: 13+
Key features:
- Registration does not require a phone number.
- Sharing of texts, photos, and videos.
- Stickers and games for enjoyment.
- Group chats with strangers.
What parents should know:
Kik’s unique feature of allowing users to interact without providing a phone number is an attractive option, but it also exposes teenagers to the risk of chatting with strangers. Kik has a record of inappropriate conversations and cyberbullying.
ix) GroupMe
Age group: 13+
Key features:
- Share photos, videos and events.
- Conduct polls or surveys in groups.
- Does not require a phone number to register.
- Group messaging for friends, classmates or members of a team.
What parents should know:
GroupMe is widely used when planning for events or in large group communications, e.g., sports teams and study groups. However, there is always the danger of the unmoderated chats getting inappropriate or negative.
x) Viber
Age group: 13+
Key features:
- Voice and video calls for free.
- Send photos, videos, and voice messages.
- Join public chats and group conversations.
- Send stickers or play games while chatting.
What parents should know:
Viber has a public chat option, which creates openings for everyone to join chats, which poses a threat to adolescents who can be exposed to strangers and inappropriate materials. Given that it allows for private or group calls and messaging, parents need to make their teens understand how to use the service safely.
A summary table
| Age limit | Parental Controls | Privacy | Popular usage | |
| 13+ | Limited | High (end-to-end encryption) | Family, Group Chats | |
| 13+ | Limited | Moderate | Social, Payments | |
| Facebook Messenger | 13+ | ✓ | Moderate | Social, Group Chats |
| Telegram | 13+ | Limited | High (self-destructing messages) | Privacy-conscious users, Group Chats |
| Snapchat | 13+ | Limited | Moderate | Fun, Disappearing Content |
| Discord | 13+ | Limited | Moderate | Gaming, Community Chats |
| Signal | 13+ | x | Very High (end-to-end encryption) | Secure Messaging |
| Kik Messenger | 13+ | x | Low (no phone number required) | Texting, Socializing |
| Group Me | 13+ | ✓ | Moderate | Group Chats, Socializing |
| Viber | 13+ | ✓ | Moderate | Group Chats, Calls |
Risks social chat apps pose for kids and teens
Understandably, some people think their children will enjoy using social chat apps as a way of staying in touch. However, these will also pose some potential risks. For instance:
Cyberbullying
One of the most serious threats to your children today is cyberbullying. Imagine your child receiving hate messages or being made fun of in group or even one-on-one chats. It would emotionally disturb your child and your child will lose self-confidence.
Did you know that roughly 36% of teens in America face cyberbullying? You can help by educating your children about blocking anonymous persons, reporting them, and discussing their negative experiences with you.
Privacy Information
You probably don’t think this deeply, but most of your children’s mobile chat applications pose a number of privacy risks. Sharing one’s location, phone number, or pictures is something kids do quite often.
Even Snapchat has a feature that allows users to share locations and track where contacts are. So, you must help them by explaining why it is important to preserve your privacy and how these features can be disabled.
Exposure to inappropriate content
Online safety for users is a big concern among parents these days. However, children on these apps may still come across inappropriate content or even communication such as sexually explicit videos, photos, or messages in group conversations.
So, it is advisable to speak to them about these issues and remind them what they can do, such as avoiding new groups or talking to strangers.
Stranger Danger
Do remember apps like Kik and Discord allow children to create profiles and freely interact with people from all over the world. Can you imagine how dangerous this is? So, you should explain the importance of not giving out any personal information to strangers.
Addiction and long screen Time
I am sure you can relate to how difficult it is to put down a smartphone at times. Children go through the same struggle. Social chat apps are built to encourage extended scrolling and chatting for hours, which in turn can harm their academic performance, family time, and even sleep.
Tips on monitoring and guarding your kids’ online chats
In this technological era, You would likely wish for your children to benefit from the advantages of using social chat apps while simultaneously ensuring their safety. Well! You can do this if you follow the below-mentioned tips!
1. Set clear rules together
I would suggest you to time out from your busy routine and spend it with your kids. Then, discuss the usage of online chat apps. Guide not to disclose your personal information and pictures. By understanding what the risks are, you will be better able to ascertain the safety of your children so you should work together.
2. Encourage open communication
You have to ensure that they can openly have a conversation with you on any matter. If your children encounter something confusing or disturbing, inform them it is fine to turn to you for assistance. Always approach the talks without any form of preconception so your children can freely express their online experiences.
3. Stay involved and educate yourself
You would be amazed to know that 70% of adolescents keep their parents in the dark regarding their online activities. This is precisely why you need to find out more about the apps and websites they use so that you can know how to assist them. Familiarize yourself with where trends are heading and new features as well because there are ever-present dangers lurking at every corner.
4. Use the FlashGet Kids app
With powerful parental controls, your role in assuring kids’ safety can become very effortless. FlashGet Kids is a reliable parental control app that enables real-time monitoring of online chats and social media activities, blocking harmful websites, filtering content, and limiting the time during which the application can be used.
Final words
In a nutshell, social chat apps are a great way to stay in touch with your family, friends and colleagues. However, when it comes to kids, you should be very cautious while choosing messaging app. Otherwise, your kids may exposed to cyberbullying or other online dangers. Thus, I would highly recommend you use FlashGet Kids parental control to protect your kids from potential online threats.
