Cyber Safety

Crack your teen's secret emoji code

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But which words may not always be clear … especially when it comes to teens and emojis. 

Teens are nothing if not inventive - and when it comes to carving out privacy from prying adult eyes, their creativity can be astounding … and often troubling.

The way teens use emojis in messaging and social media is a perfect case in point. Since the explosion in smartphone ownership over the past decade or so, young people have evolved a distinctive set of meanings for dozens of common symbols. 

Some of this is just good fun - a harmless form of visual slang. In other cases, though, emojis are being used as a secret code to conceal dicey activity and thoughts - often sex- and drug-related - from parents, teachers and caregivers. 

The following list is not exhaustive - but it will give you a good idea of the way our digital teens are developing a language all their own … and the need for parents to acquire fluency.

👍It looks like a sign of agreement or “liking.” But depending on context it can mean just the opposite: “F*#! You!”

🥑 Indicates someone or something is “basic.”

🐣 “I don’t care what you think.”

💫 “I feel dizzy.”

🍆, 🍌 Penis

🥴 Drunkenness or sexual arousal

🍑 Backside

 🍒 Breasts

🌮 Vagina

🤡 “I’ve been busted!” (i.e. caught out)

💀 Hilarious!

🧠, 👅 Oral sex

🧢 A lie

💦, 🎤 Ejaculation, masturbation

🍃, 🌳, 🌱, 🥦, ✅ Marijuana

🍝 Indicates nudes (“noods”) being sent or received

👀 Nudes being seen or requested

🔨 Sex

🌶 “Hot” or risque content

 💅 “I really don’t care”

❄️ An overly sensitive person (“snowflake”), or cocaine

🔌 Drug dealer

💉 Tattoo

😤, 🤤 MDMA (“Ecstasy” or “Molly”)

🍇 Testicles

😵 I’ve seen something x-rated

🙆 Female orgasm

😮💨 Smoking, vaping

✍️ “Take my advice!”

Reference: https://www.familyzone.com/anz/families/blog/crack-your-teens-emoji-code 

Cyber Safety Hub

We are delighted to introduce you to a new resource made available to you through our partnership with Family Zone - our new school Cyber Safety Hub. 

As you may already be aware, our partnership provides your family with access to the Family Zone tools to use at home with your children if you wish. The purpose of the Cyber Safety Hub is to complement those tools with practical guidance and information to further support you in engaging with your children in their digital development. These tools and resources also allow the school and parent body to work together on creating a holistic approach to guiding each student's online journey. 

About the Parent Cyber Safety Hub 

The Cyber Safety Hub includes resources to help your family better understand the different Family Zone tools available to you and how to use them, plus access to regular cyber safety events to help you stay informed about the latest digital trends. 

Also, the Cyber Safety Hub provides expert advice from leading cyber experts, ySafe, on the most pertinent issues and frequently asked questions around platforms like TikTok, Fortnite, Instagram, and more. There are app reviews with age and safety recommendations, along with a range of guides to help ensure healthy boundaries around screen-time & gaming, plus step-by-step instructions for using parental controls and filtering out inappropriate content. 

We are very excited to be able to offer you this level of expertise and support. We look forward to working closely with you as we develop the cyber safety conversation within our school community.