Adolescence: Emojis with hidden meanings parents should know to safeguard children - and how much to worry

• Hit Netflix series Adolescence has put emojis in the spotlight - especially how young people use them
• Emojis are often used creatively to refer to different things, including some parents might prefer teens steer clear of
• Safeguarding experts warn that parents and educators should try to have a general understanding of these
• But language experts have also warned against overreacting, or trying to ban certain emojis

Emojis have the power to add colour or emotion to our messages, and can even indicate sarcasm, or subvert its very meaning.

But they can also take on a life on their own, including new meanings that only specific groups may understand. This is a key plot point in Netflix’s smash hit drama series Adolescence, with the teenage characters using emojis to communicate with, and even bully each other, something which the adult characters don’t initially pick up on.

Earlier this week, the four-part series was made free to screen for secondary schools across the UK. It tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who brutally murders a female classmate, and deals with themes of misogyny, and the dangers of online radicalisation for young people.

Even though it’s quite normal for emojis to develop secondary meanings, sometimes quite different from what they actually depict, and for these meanings to vary across different age groups, this doesn’t mean it can’t cause trouble. Safeguarding experts at High Speed Training - an online training platform that offers courses for educators - say that it is important for anyone responsible for young people and their care to have some idea of what they might mean.

“What may appear to be harmless, playful emojis on a child’s phone could, in reality, be concealing racist remarks, drug-related discussions, sexual propositions, or instances of cyber bullying,” learning and development head Dr Richard Anderson said. “The use of double meanings also allows for plausible deniability when questioned, further complicating the issue.”

Here is an interactive list of emojis High Speed Training says can have more than one meaning - as well as how concerned you should really be:

How worried should I be about emojis?

Although it’s set in the UK, Adolescence has proven itself to be popular viewing the world over, kicking off many important discussions. But in Australia, experts have specifically warned parents against flying into a panic over emoji use.

Linguistics experts Dr Jessica Kruk, from The University of Western Australia, and Dr Lauren Gawne, from La Trobe University, wrote in The Conversation that there has been a long history of moral panic around youth language. But banning or even defining certain emojis won’t solve the deeper issues at play. “Aggressively negative attitudes towards teen language demotivate young people, exacerbate inequality and unnecessarily stoke intergenerational tension,” they wrote.

Emojis are, by their very nature, flexible and able to be used creatively, they continued. “Instead of fearing or banning emoji, we can try and understand how and why they are used in various contexts.”

Incel - or ‘involuntary celibate’ - ideology is a key theme in Adolescence, and perpetuates the idea of a social hierarchy based on physical attractiveness. It claims that women are denying so-called incels sexual or romantic relationships they believe they are entitled to.

While police have said that this is a real movement that can target and radicalise vulnerable young boys, and those who identify with this ideology may very well use emojis as a sort of dog whistle, many teens will not even be aware of this - and could be using the same emojis for more innocuous purposes as well.

“Parents can’t realistically prevent the radicalisation of young men by simply referencing an emoji dictionary, nor can teachers stamp out the spread of misogyny by banning emoji and slang in classrooms,” the linguistics experts wrote. “Instead, as one scene [in Adolescence] between Adam and his dad shows, we need to collectively shift our focus towards facilitating open conversations between generations.”

Emojis parents should know about - with more than one possible meaning

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