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, games 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 (16 in the EU under GDPR).

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?

• Public communities. Anyone can join public communities. Children may come into contact with strangers without parents knowing.
• Hidden and secret chats. Viber has a feature for secret chats with self-destructing messages. Children may use this to hide conversations from parents.
• Contact from anyone with your phone number. Anyone who has your child’s phone number can send them messages directly.
• Spam and scam messages. Children may receive unwanted messages from unknown numbers containing links to scams or inappropriate content.
• Inappropriate content in communities. Public communities are not always well-moderated and can contain adult content, hate speech or misinformation.
• Phone number visible to contacts. Your child’s phone number is automatically shared with all contacts, which can be a privacy concern.
• QR code adds contacts. Scanning a QR code can add someone as a contact — this can happen physically at school or other places.
• Chatbot interactions. Viber includes chatbots that children can talk to. Not all are safe or age-appropriate.
• In-app purchases. Stickers and games can involve purchases that children make without thinking about the cost.

Settings to check

1. Who can message: Go to Settings → Privacy → set “Who can message me” to “My Contacts”. This blocks messages from unknown people.
2. Hide “online” status: Settings → Privacy → turn off “Online Status” so others cannot see when your child is active.
3. Disable “seen” status: Settings → Privacy → turn off “Seen Status” so senders do not know when messages have been read.
4. Block unknown callers: Settings → Calls → enable “Block Unknown Callers” to prevent calls from unknown numbers.
5. Review community memberships: Check which public communities your child has joined. Go to the Communities tab and review the list.
6. Disable public communities in search: Settings → Privacy → limit the visibility of your child’s profile in community search results.
7. Be aware of hidden chats: Viber allows PIN-protected hidden conversations. Talk to your child about why these exist and what they are used for.
8. Review connected devices: Settings → Account → “Connected Devices” — check that Viber is not logged in on unknown devices.
9. Hide message preview: Settings → Notifications → turn off “Message Preview” so content does not appear on the lock screen.

How to talk about it

“Who do you talk to most on Viber? Is it family, friends or others?”

“Have you joined any communities on Viber? What are they about, and who else is in them?”

“Have you ever received messages from numbers you don’t recognise? What do you do when that happens?”

Last reviewed: March 2026