JusTalk Kids markets itself as a safe-by-design video chat app for children, but in 2022 a security researcher found one of its databases sitting on the open internet with more than ten million unencrypted messages from kid accounts. The company patched it and added vague reassurance to the changelog, but the trust damage was real. Parents who used the app for grandparent calls or co-parenting handoffs spent the next year looking for JusTalk Kids alternatives.
This guide covers seven JusTalk Kids alternatives that fit the same use case: video and text chat for younger kids, with adult control over who can contact them. We have grouped picks by how much supervision they assume (always-on, allow-list only, or a managed adult account with kid-style guardrails) and noted exactly where each option leaves a gap.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price/mo | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messenger Kids | Kids on tablets, parent on Facebook | Full app | Free | Parent controls every contact from the Facebook app |
| Kinzoo | Privacy-first kid messenger | Limited | $7.99 (Premium) | No ads, no data sale, allow-list contacts only |
| JusTalk (regular) | Same UI without the kid scaffolding | Unlimited calls | $4.99 (Premium) | The exact app JusTalk Kids is built on, adult-rated |
| Skype | Calling family on any platform | Unlimited | Free | Works on every device, Skype-to-phone for landlines |
| Google Meet | One-tap family video calls | Unlimited up to 60 min | $5.99 (Google One AI Premium) | Group video calls, integrates with Google Family Link |
| Microsoft Teams | Families inside Microsoft 365 | Unlimited 1-on-1, 60 min group | $6.99 (M365 Personal) | Family-safe chat, shared calendars, OneDrive backup |
| ClassDojo | School-coordinated messaging | Free | Free | Teacher-moderated, parent-and-child messaging |
Why people leave JusTalk Kids
Four reasons keep showing up in parent communities.
The 2022 plaintext message incident
A researcher disclosed an unsecured database holding more than ten million JusTalk-related messages, including from JusTalk Kids accounts. The exposure included message text, sender and recipient IDs, and timestamps. JusTalk’s response was slow and the post-mortem details were thin. For a kid-focused app, that single incident is the most common reason parents cite when switching.
Contact controls that depend on a 4-digit passcode
Guardian Parental Controls hinges on a 4-digit code that any older sibling or curious kid can guess. Adding a contact requires the parent code, but parents who hand their phone to a child during a call have inadvertently let them add people. The “no friend requests from strangers” claim only holds as long as that code stays secret.
Aggressive premium prompts
JusTalk Kids pushes monthly and yearly subscriptions for features many parents thought were core to the safety pitch, like extended call history or larger group calls. The free version is functional, but the upgrade nags during what should be relaxed family time.
Mixed adult and kid platforms
The regular JusTalk app shares infrastructure with JusTalk Kids. The security incident affected both. Some parents prefer apps where the kid product is a fully separate codebase (Messenger Kids vs Facebook Messenger, Kinzoo vs nothing else) rather than a kid-skin on an adult platform.
The seven alternatives
Messenger Kids, best for parent-controlled contacts on tablets
Messenger Kids is Meta’s kid-focused messaging app. Every contact has to be approved by a parent through their own Facebook account. There are no ads, no in-app purchases, and the app does not appear in search results that target kids. Parents can review the kid’s chat list and remove anyone, and Meta has been audited by COPPA-aligned watchdogs.
Where it falls short: Requires the parent to have a Facebook account, which is a non-starter for parents who avoid Meta. Some early reports noted a bug that let kids join group chats with unapproved adults, which Meta patched. The “no data for ads” promise applies, but the parent’s Facebook account still feeds the broader Meta graph.
Pricing:
- Free: full app
- vs JusTalk Kids: free vs freemium, with stricter parent gating on contacts
Migrating from JusTalk Kids: No contact import. The realistic path is asking each approved family member to send a friend request through the parent’s Facebook account, which then surfaces in Messenger Kids.
Bottom line: Pick Messenger Kids if you already have a Facebook account and you want the strictest parent gate. Skip it if you avoid Meta products.
Kinzoo, best for a privacy-first kid messenger
Kinzoo is built as a standalone children’s messenger with a no-ads, no-data-sale policy that the company publishes in its terms. Children can only chat with contacts a parent invites by name and email. It has stickers, voice messages, and video calls, and parents see every conversation in their own paired account.
Where it falls short: Network effects are smaller than Messenger Kids. The free tier is limited, and the most useful features (multiple contacts, group calls) live behind Kinzoo Premium. The interface is more childlike than JusTalk Kids, which may not appeal to older kids.
Pricing:
- Free: limited features, single approved contact
- Paid: Kinzoo Premium at $7.99/month or $49.99/year
- vs JusTalk Kids: similar premium pricing, smaller user base
Migrating from JusTalk Kids: Invite each approved contact via email from the parent account. Existing JusTalk Kids chat history does not transfer.
Bottom line: Pick Kinzoo if the security story is the deciding factor and you can absorb the subscription cost. Skip it if your kid’s contacts are not willing to install another app.
JusTalk (regular), best for the same UX without the kids’ branding
JusTalk (the adult app) is the platform JusTalk Kids is built on. Same UI, same features, fewer guardrails. Some families who liked the JusTalk Kids interface but did not trust the “kids” version’s security model now use the adult app with manual parent supervision: a shared device, a logged-in parent, and the kid using it under direct watch.
Where it falls short: Shares the same infrastructure as JusTalk Kids, so the 2022 incident applies here too. No parental gating built in. This is the least defensible pick if you specifically wanted a “safe-for-kids” product, and we include it only for parents who explicitly preferred the JusTalk UX.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited 1-on-1 calls
- Paid: JusTalk Premium at $4.99/month
- vs JusTalk Kids: same company, same security history
Migrating from JusTalk Kids: JusTalk supports importing JusTalk Kids contacts from the same Google account. Group history does not transfer.
Bottom line: Pick regular JusTalk only if you want the same UX and you trust direct adult supervision. Skip it if the 2022 incident is the reason you are leaving.
Skype, best for calling family on any device
Skype is the lowest-friction way to connect a kid’s tablet with a grandparent’s Windows laptop. Calls work between any combination of devices, the address book is simple, and Skype-to-phone credit lets you dial a landline if needed. Microsoft’s Family Group settings let parents add a child Microsoft account with screen-time limits.
Where it falls short: Microsoft has signaled plans to retire Skype in favor of Teams (the timeline has shifted, but the direction is clear). Skype Lite, the kid-friendly version, was discontinued years ago. There is no built-in allow-list of contacts.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited Skype-to-Skype voice and video
- Paid: Skype-to-phone credit, varies by country
- vs JusTalk Kids: free for app-to-app, paid for landlines
Migrating from JusTalk Kids: No contact transfer. Add contacts manually using their Skype name or email. A child Microsoft account, configured through Family Safety, adds supervision on top.
Bottom line: Pick Skype if grandparents are already on it. Skip it if you want a built-in kid-safety model.
Google Meet, best for one-tap family video calls
Google Meet (which absorbed Google Duo) is the simplest video calling app on Android. Calls launch from a phone number or Google account, group video supports up to 100 people, and there is no separate app to install on most modern Android devices. Pair it with Google Family Link to add screen-time controls, app approval, and location for the child’s device.
Where it falls short: No built-in kid messaging surface inside Meet itself. Family Link is a separate app and adds setup work. End-to-end encryption is available on 1-on-1 calls but is not the default in groups.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited 1-on-1 calls, group calls up to 60 minutes
- Paid: Google One plans from $1.99/month, AI Premium at $5.99/month
- vs JusTalk Kids: free for the core use case
Migrating from JusTalk Kids: No transfer. Contact discovery is via phone number or Google account, so anyone in the kid’s address book who has a Google account becomes a contact automatically.
Bottom line: Pick Google Meet if you want the lowest-friction family video calling. Skip it if you need a separate kid-only contact surface.
Microsoft Teams, best for families inside Microsoft 365
Microsoft Teams has a “Teams for Family” view that supports family chat, shared calendars, OneDrive file sharing, and group video. With a Microsoft Family account, parents control who their child can chat with and see weekly activity reports. It is overbuilt for casual kid use, but for families already paying for Microsoft 365 it is the closest thing to a one-stop family hub.
Where it falls short: The full Teams app is heavy, and the family view is easy to confuse with the work view. Activity reporting can feel invasive to older kids. Not designed for kids using their own device without a parent account.
Pricing:
- Free: 1-on-1 calls unlimited, group meetings up to 60 minutes
- Paid: Microsoft 365 Personal at $6.99/month, Family at $9.99/month (six accounts)
- vs JusTalk Kids: bundled into Microsoft 365 rather than standalone
Migrating from JusTalk Kids: No contact transfer. The realistic setup is creating a Microsoft child account through Family Safety, then linking each approved family member’s adult Microsoft account.
Bottom line: Pick Teams if you already pay for Microsoft 365 Family. Skip it for casual use; it is too much app.
ClassDojo, best for school-coordinated messaging
ClassDojo is the only entry on this list aimed at the school side rather than the family side. Teachers create class groups, parents and kids both have accounts, and messages flow inside a moderated space that classroom staff oversee. Many families end up using it for parent-teacher chat plus a small set of family contacts because the kid already has an account from school.
Where it falls short: Not designed as a general-purpose kid messenger. Contact list is limited to the school community. Outside school hours it is much quieter than a real messenger.
Pricing:
- Free: full app
- Paid: ClassDojo Plus at around $7.99/month for parent extras (homework, weekly summaries)
- vs JusTalk Kids: free, much narrower scope
Migrating from JusTalk Kids: ClassDojo is additive rather than a replacement; the kid uses both. School contacts onboard through the teacher’s class invitation, not by the parent.
Bottom line: Pick ClassDojo as the school-side companion to whatever you choose for family chat. Skip it as the primary kid messenger.
How to choose
Pick Messenger Kids as the default replacement for most families. The contact control is the strictest, the app is free, and the kid’s tablet does not need its own phone number.
Pick Kinzoo if the JusTalk security incident is the specific reason you are leaving and you can afford the subscription. It is the cleanest privacy story on this list.
Pick Google Meet or Skype if you mostly do scheduled video calls with grandparents and you want zero friction. Both work on every device the family already has.
Pick Microsoft Teams if your family already pays for Microsoft 365. The family chat and OneDrive bundle pays back the cost.
Pick ClassDojo in addition to one of the above. It covers the school side of communication, which the others do not.
Stay on JusTalk Kids only if you have done the trade-off math and decided the UX is worth the risk. The 2022 incident is on the record; the alternatives above either have a cleaner history or a stricter contact model.
FAQ
What happened with JusTalk Kids in 2022?
Security researcher Anurag Sen reported that JusTalk had an exposed database containing more than ten million messages from JusTalk and JusTalk Kids accounts, including children’s chats, with no authentication required to access them. JusTalk patched it after the disclosure. Coverage in TechCrunch and elsewhere documented the breach in detail.
Is Messenger Kids safe?
Messenger Kids is built around parent approval of every contact and removes ads, in-app purchases, and contact-search-by-strangers. It has had bugs in its early years (notably one in 2019 that let kids join group chats with unapproved adults), all of which were patched and disclosed.
What is the best free kid messenger?
Messenger Kids is the most full-featured free option. Google Meet (paired with Family Link) is the simplest if you just need video calls. Kinzoo is the strongest privacy story but the free tier is limited.
Can my child use WhatsApp or Signal instead?
WhatsApp’s terms require users to be 13 or older (16 in parts of Europe). Signal has similar age guidance. Both work technically, but they were not designed with kid-safety scaffolding, so parental supervision falls entirely on the adult.
Does JusTalk Kids encrypt children’s messages?
JusTalk claims end-to-end encryption now. The 2022 incident specifically involved server-stored logs that were not properly secured, which is a separate problem from transport encryption. Read the company’s current security page directly before deciding.
What do schools recommend for kid messaging?
ClassDojo and Seesaw are the most common school-coordinated options. For family use outside school, Messenger Kids and Kinzoo come up most often in PTA and parenting-forum discussions.
