
Being a parent of tweens and teens is terrifying, especially after watching shows like the Netflix series Adolescence.
This kind of content is the conversation starter nobody asked for, but we all desperately need.
We need our eyes opened to how teens have quietly transformed innocent-looking emojis we use daily into coded messages with entirely different meanings.
If you've been panic-googling "what does 🫘 mean??" at 1am. You're not alone.
So we've decoded the emojis for you. Plus all the ones they didn't warn you about.
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The hidden meanings behind Gen Alpha emojis.
Red Pill Emoji 💊: A nod to the dystopian film The Matrix. This little red pill symbolises "seeing the truth" in 'manosphere' communities — the online spaces promoting misogynistic views. When your teen uses this, they're signalling they've "awakened" to supposed "truths" about gender dynamics. Let's hope you never see this one.
Explosion Emoji 💥Paired with the red pill can indicate pent-up sexual frustration or someone identifying as an incel (involuntarily celibate). Not exactly the content you want in your kid's chat history.