Viber

What is Viber?

Viber is a messaging app owned by Rakuten that offers text messaging, voice and video calls, group chats, communities (public group chats), a sticker marketplace and Viber Out (call regular phone numbers). It is particularly popular in Eastern Europe, parts of Asia, and among certain immigrant communities. Viber uses end-to-end encryption by default for personal conversations.

Age rating: 13 (higher in some countries).

Why do kids like it?

• Their family already uses it. Many children use Viber because parents, grandparents or relatives abroad are already on it. It is the family’s communication channel.
• Free international calls. Children with family in other countries can call for free over the internet — no expensive international phone charges.
• Fun stickers. Viber has a huge library of stickers and GIFs that make conversations more entertaining for kids.
• Group chats. Children create group chats with friends for schoolwork, hobbies and socialising.
• Communities. Public group chats around interests like sports, gaming or music — children can follow topics they enjoy.
• Popular in certain circles. In some schools or friend groups, Viber is the preferred app, especially among children with Eastern European backgrounds.

What are the real risks?

• Contact from unknown numbers. Anyone who has a child’s phone number can send messages directly. Children may receive spam, scam links or inappropriate content from unknown numbers.
• Public communities. Anyone can join public communities, and content can be weakly moderated or include adult content, hate speech or misinformation.
• Hidden and secret chats. Viber has secret chats with self-destructing messages. This can make conversations less visible to adults.
• Phone number as identity. The phone number is used to create the account and can be shared with contacts. QR codes can also add new contacts at school or other places.
• In-app purchases. Stickers can involve purchases that children make without thinking about the cost.

Settings to check

1. Hide “online” status: Open Settings → Privacy and turn off “Online Status” so others cannot see when your child is active.
2. Disable “seen” status: Open Settings → Privacy and turn off “Seen Status” so senders do not know when messages have been read.
3. Silence unknown callers (Android): Open Settings → Calls and turn on “Silence Calls from Unknown Numbers” to automatically silence calls from numbers not in the contact list.
4. Restrict who can add to groups: Open Settings → Privacy and set “Add to Groups” to “My Contacts” so only saved contacts can add your child to groups, channels or communities.
5. Review community memberships: Open the Communities tab and review which public communities your child has joined.
6. Check for hidden chats: Look for a PIN-protected “Hidden Chats” folder in the chat list. Viber allows conversations to be moved here so they do not appear on the main screen.
7. Turn on 2-step verification: Open Settings → Account → “2-Step Verification” and set a PIN to prevent anyone else from activating the account on a different phone.
8. Enable auto spam check: Open Settings → Privacy and turn on “Auto Spam Check” to scan messages from unknown senders for malicious content.
9. Review connected devices: Open Settings → Account → “Connected Devices” and check that Viber is not logged in on unknown devices.
10. Hide message preview: Open Settings → Notifications and turn off “Message Preview” so content does not appear on the lock screen.

How to talk about it

“Who do you use Viber with the most?”

“What communities have you seen or joined, and what are they about?”

“What do you do when an unknown number sends you a message?”

Last reviewed: July 2026