Parents' Guide to

JusTalk Kids - Safe Video Chat

By Patricia Monticello Kievlan, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Slimmed-down version of adult chat app; use with caution.

App iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android Free Social Networking
JusTalk Kids - Safe Video Chat Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • JusTalk Kids: Screenshot #1
  • JusTalk Kids: Screenshot #2
  • JusTalk Kids: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 1 parent review

Spooky S.
Spooky S. Adult
July 5, 2020
age 11+

best thing ever

i could chat on this app and call up my friends it is so fun
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

JUSTALK KIDS - SAFE VIDEO CHAT is a chat and video messenger app that enables kids to connect with other users and users of JusTalk Video Chat & Messenger, a messenger for teens and adults with more features from the same developer. To set up the app, adults download it to a phone or tablet, sign up for an account with a phone number or create a new user ID, and then add other users as friends by typing in their user ID or scanning a QR code from the other user's device. Users can then send text messages and start video and/or voice chats with their friends, and video chats include tools for drawing, adding stickers, and playing a Flappy Bird-like game. There's also an option to record the screen during phone calls, which other callers can reject, and you can also instantly share screenshots from the app on social media or via email or text message. Users can also save images from their chats to a gallery on the device.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (2):

While the "kid-friendly" game and stickers are amusing and the video quality is good, this slimmed-down version of the full JusTalk app doesn't necessarily protect kids' privacy or make for a safer chatting environment. On the upside, the kids' version of the app has fewer features and doesn't feature any ads, and it's positive that no one can chat with you unless you manually add them as your friend. However, JusTalk Kids - Safe Video Chat lacks some of the basic privacy features that parents may expect in an app developed for kids, like the ability to create a "parent" account in order to monitor and control the kid's account. As it is, the main difference between the two apps is how you add contacts: In JusTalk Kids, you have to complete a multiplication problem, and then you can add a contact via his or her username or by scanning the QR code from the other person's device. What's most concerning is that there doesn't seem to be a meaningful difference between an account created on the JusTalk Kids app and an account created on the app's full version, so you can simply use your kid account to log in to the adult version of the app. While this probably won't be a problem with little kids, tweens might be savvy enough to try their login on the adult version of the app and have access to different features -- and people. Overall, this is an OK messenger app, but if parents want total control over their kid's experience in the form of a parent account, they should look elsewhere.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about being smart about what and how they share online in general and in JusTalk Kids - Safe Video Chat. Read our Parent Concerns guide to Facebook, Instagram, and Social and start your family's own conversation about your family's rules for using social media.

  • Talk about interacting safely and kindly online. How did your family choose your contacts? Why did we pick those people? What types of messages is it OK to send? What should you avoid?

  • Discuss types of communication and what works best for different situations. What kind of communication works best in a messaging app? What's best over the phone or in person?

App Details

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