Although it began as a messaging service, Line is now regarded as a “super app” by its hundreds of millions of users in Asia thanks to its multifunctionality. In Japan, Line has 96 million users – over 78% of the total population. The app is also deeply integrated into the everyday lives of people in Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia. It might not be as popular among kids globally as other messaging apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat, but in Japan and other parts of Asia, Line is king of the communication apps across all age groups. While it does have some safety features, Line is not primarily marketed as a kids’ app and so may pose safety risks parents should be aware of.
What can kids do on Line?
Line is considered a “super app” because it combines core functions like calls, text, voice, video messaging, and group chats – similar to apps like WhatsApp – with social media features such as timelines, video sharing, and friend lists. Users can also use Line to send and receive payments, shop, read news, play games, livestream, and more. It might not be marketed as a kids’ app, yet many of Line’s features have proved particularly popular among youngsters, including stickers. Line has an expansive sticker library, including characters from popular anime and cartoons, and allows users to create their own designs. Based on these are Line Friends: a set of characters, with names like Brown the bear, Cony the rabbit, and Sally the chick, that pop up in merchandise, games, and special events. Young users also enjoy the Line-connected app Line Camera, which is like a more playful and customizable version of Instagram. It allows people to take photos, add filters, stickers, and effects, and then post them on their timeline. As the popularity of TikTok has proven, short-form video is a huge draw for younger users, and Line has them covered. Line Voom is a social networking service within the Line app that lets users view, upload, and share short videos and other content. As of April 2025, Line Voom is only available in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Line: key risks parents need to know
Inappropriate content
While Line’s Safety Center does prohibit the sharing of obscene content and content promoting illegal acts via messaging, the platform has no moderation or filtering, and instead relies solely on user reports. This means kids and teens can easily share explicit messages, links, videos, and other media in private chats. Line Voom, the social media-style feed within the Line app, uses both an automated monitoring system and a team of human moderators to ensure content follows their guidelines. However, there’s always a risk that harmful content may slip through.
Predation
You can contact anyone on Line who shares their Line ID (a username), phone number, or QR code, with you. To protect young users from harmful encounters, Line IDs owned by under-18s will not appear in search – but to date, this feature is only available to users in Japan. Like WhatsApp, group chats on Line pose a safety risk for young users, as anyone can invite them to join if proper privacy settings aren’t enabled. Unfortunately, group chats are commonly used by predators to build trust and manipulate minors.
Cyberbullying
Line’s lack of active monitoring within chats means there’s always the possibility of a child becoming the target of hateful and offensive messages. This can be a particular problem in group chats where users can “gang up” on an individual and make them the subject of ridicule. Cyberbullying can also take the form of exclusion, where someone is intentionally left out of group chats or conversations, potentially deepening feelings of isolation.
In-app purchases
Although Line is free to use, it offers in-app purchases that users can buy with real money, many of which seem to be targeted at the younger demographic, such as stickers, emojis, and themes. Away from the messenger service, Line also offers games where users can buy items or upgrades. Some of these titles incorporate gacha mechanics and loot boxes, which share many of the same characteristics of gambling.
Scams
Since Line is so widely used in certain countries, scams of various forms can be found on the platform. These might include phishing scams, for logins, personal details, and financial information; impersonation scams, when someone pretends to be a friend or family member to get money or data from you; and investment scams, where too-good-to-be-true opportunities to get rich are offered for an initial payment. Unfortunately, children are often targeted by scammers as they tend to be more trusting of others, especially those posing as authority figures, friends, or family. Children are also more likely to overlook or ignore signs of a scam when promised something they want.
Making Line safer for teens
Line doesn’t appear to have a universal minimum age requirement across all regions. According to its Help center, users in EEA member countries must be at least 16 years old, but this is to comply with European data protection regulations (GDPR). In other regions, such as the United States, the App Store lists Line as suitable for users aged 12 and up. However, there are no strict age verification measures in place to enforce these guidelines. If you approve of your teenager keeping in touch with friends and family with Line, here are a few steps you can take to make the service safer for them:
Talk openly about the risks and set expectations
Whether your child uses Line, WhatsApp, or any other communication or social media platform, incidents of cyberbullying and predation are always a possibility. Ensure your child is aware of these and other online dangers, and feels comfortable enough to come to you or another trusted adult if they ever feel upset or distressed while using the app. It can be difficult talking to your child about topics like grooming, but child psychologist Dr. Beurkens has shared a useful guide to approach this vital conversation: How to talk to your child about online predators. Creating a family digital agreement is also a great way to start an ongoing, respectful conversation about general tech use and set healthy expectations regarding screen time, sharing personal info, and other safety risks.
Optimize privacy settings for safety
Since it’s a service not designed for children, Line doesn’t have parental controls. However, you can tweak the privacy settings on your teen’s device to help keep them safe on the platform. Here a few of the essential ones:
- Turn off “Allow others to add by ID” to stop users from being able to search for and connect with your child via their Line ID. This option is automatically turned off for users under 18 in Japan.
- Turn off “Allow others to add by phone number” to prevent strangers from adding your child if they have their number.
- Turn off “Receive messages from non-friends” to block messages from strangers.
- On Line Voom, set “Who can view” to “Only me” or “Friends” to restrict who can interact with your teen’s posts.
Although these features may help keep your teen safe on Line, they are not a substitute for trust and open conversation – as your child can simply revert these settings without your knowledge.
Ensure your teen knows how to block and report users
Knowing how to report and block problematic individuals will help your teen have a safer experience on Line, as well as empowering them to handle troubling situations that might arise there and elsewhere online. Line users can report problematic messages and report/block the people that send them from within a chat. To block a user, click “Menu” and choose “Block”, and to report a message or user, choose “More” and “Report”, and follow the instructions.
Use parental control tools
As Line doesn’t have in-built parental controls, we highly recommend using a comprehensive parental control solution like Qustodio to keep your teen safe when they use Line. For example, Qustodio’s AI-powered alerts monitor your child’s activity on Line, WhatsApp, Instagram, and other messaging platforms, and notify you immediately when they exchange messages related to bullying, self-harm, depression, drugs, school absences, and other concerning topics. As well as receiving message alerts, you can use Qustodio to:
- Block the Line app from being opened
- Monitor the time your teen spends on Line
- Set usage limits
- Receive an alert when the app is first opened
- Pause internet access at the push of a button.
Line may be primarily a communication app, but its wide range of features – including timelines, video sharing, games, live streaming, and more – has helped it earn the reputation of a “super app” in Japan and across Asia, where it is hugely popular. This popularity stretches to include kids and teenagers who seem to especially enjoy Line’s social media-like features, stickers, and games.
Without proper parental controls, Line can expose young users to risks common to communication and social media apps, such as predation, cyberbullying, and inappropriate content. However, by having open conversations, adjusting privacy settings, and using parental monitoring tools, you can help your teenager stay safe on the popular communication app.
