Times change, and although we may not like to admit it, as parents we don’t always have the low-down on the vernacular, emojis and acronyms used by our children today! Unfortunately, child predators make it a point to know it and to know it well, and therefore so must we.
The Emoji Story
The use of emojis, as well as certain acronyms, is a tactic used by child predators who engage in sexualized communication online and via text message to escape adult detection. Predators also use emojis to pretend to be a young person so they can encourage communication with minors.
We regularly see cases of child sex offenders exploiting their knowledge of hidden meanings in their attempts to groom children. Some emojis may seem to be innocent symbols, however, they may signal a highly-sexualized conversation. When these emojis are being sent from predators, they are an extremely dangerous grooming weapon that can lead to children being coerced into self-producing child abuse material or to set up a face-to-face meeting.
Understanding how to interpret the messages your children are sending or receiving could provide a critical clue that a child is at risk of being groomed or engaging in risky behavior that could put them in harm’s way.
So here’s a little 2022 sex education for parents in relation to the use of emojis and their common sexualization.
EMOJIS AND THEIR POTENTIAL MEANINGS
How many hidden meanings are you aware of in these seemingly-innocent emojis?
🌽 Porn (rhymes with corn), can be used to get around word restrictions on social media
🍑 Bottom
🍆 Male genitalia
🍒 Female genitalia
💦 Ejaculation
😈 Feeling frisky or naughty
🤤 Desiring someone sexually (often used in response to nudes)
🍜 Nudes, which are often called “noods”
👀 Used when sending or receiving nudes
🔨 Sexual activity
🌶 Spiciness eg inappropriate or risqué content
🐙 Cuddles
🥴 Drunkenness, sexual arousal, or a grimace
Please note, this is not a definitive dictionary as many emojis have multiple meanings. COBRA does not condone or offer verification for the meanings of these emojis, but offers this information as general education guide for parents.
TOP TIPS FOR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS
👉🏼 Keep your child’s personal information including full name and age private
👉🏼 Ensure the background of photos or videos doesn’t give away your address or location, (and don’t post your location or ‘check in’)
👉🏼 Avoid posting photos in school uniform
👉🏼 Only share images of your children with people you know and trust
👉🏼 For community accounts, consider having a closed group with approved members and ensure you have strong privacy settings in place.
HOW TO REPORT ONLINE CHILD ABUSE
🖐🏼 If you believe a child is in imminent danger, call 9-1-1 or visit your local police station.
🖐🏼 If your child is experiencing issues online, it is essential to collect evidence – taking screenshots or photos of the content. Once you have collected your evidence, block and report on the app, site or platform where the issue occurred.
🖐🏼 Online child sexual exploitation can be reported to Crime Stoppers USA at 1-800-222-8477.
We know these emojis might be obvious and even funny to some, but we don’t find the tactics of child sexual predators humorous at all. Sadly, these are real terms people use, and some parents and caregivers might not know what they mean. So if this information helps just even one parent, caregiver or child, then we’ll cop the laugh reacts on Facebook.
Please like and share for more information like this. Because one child is too many 👊🏼
*** Acknowledgement and thanks are extended to our fellow COBRA instructors in Australia who gathered this information from the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation for this information as we continue to educate parents and caregivers about the tactics of child sexual predators and the growing trend of self-produced child exploitation material ***
