The Complete Parents’ Guide to Emojis, Abbreviations, and Hidden Online Language in 2025

What Your Child Might Really Be Saying – And Why It Matters

Last week, the hype around the Netflix programme ADOLESCENCE went crazy in the UK. Like many parents, I sat down to watch it—curious after seeing all the buzz. Honestly? I didn’t think it lived up to the hype (and yes, I got shot down in flames for saying that).

But what actually worried me wasn’t the show—it was the number of parents who had no idea this stuff is happening in society today, or what to even look out for on their children’s devices.

I’ve always said: parents shouldn’t feel guilty about monitoring phones, devices, or online activity. I’d much rather know my child is accessing safe content—and that we can have open, honest conversations about safety, ethics, bullying, and extremism in any form.

People have told me I’m wrong for “snooping”. But I don’t snoop. In our house, we have one rule: while my children live under our roof, they live by our rules. That includes phone checks when I feel it’s necessary.

I don’t care about the odd swear word or private joke—I’m not reading texts for gossip. I’m looking for red flags: bullying, signs of isolation, harmful content.

There’s already a lot of content on this topic out there, and I did question whether to write this. But as a mum, kinship guardian, and someone who works in and around social media every day, I feel I’ve got a useful perspective.

I’ve had police officers in my living room over Musical.ly (way back when). I’ve had kids accuse me of “ruining their social life” for taking the internet off their phones. I’ve supported high-risk children. And all of that experience helps me understand what’s really going on in certain corners of the internet.

This article isn’t written to scare anyone—it’s here to support you. I wouldn’t recommend watching Adolescent with your children, and they probably don’t need to read this blog. But you do. And if anything in here worries you, the best first step is simply to start a conversation.

Why Teens Use Emojis and Slang This Way

• To avoid detection – Emojis and abbreviations help kids avoid triggering content filters or adult suspicion.
• To fit in – Online slang can be a form of social currency.
• To hide real feelings – Certain emojis and terms express distress, anger, or loneliness without saying it directly.

Section 1: Emojis with Hidden Meanings

1.1 Drug-Related Emojis

• 🧊 / ❄️ / 🥶 — Cocaine
• 🍃 / 🌿 / 🥦 — Cannabis
• 🚬 — Smoking or vaping
• 💊 / 🧪 — Pills or prescription drugs
• 🍄 — Magic mushrooms
• 🔌 — Drug dealer
• 🛢️ — Ketamine
• 🔥 — Strong high
• 💨 — Smoking

1.2 Violence Emojis

• 🔪 / 🗡️ / 🔫 — Weapons
• 💣 — Bomb
• ☠️ / 💀 — Death
• 🪓 — Violent threat
• 🤫 — Secrecy
• 🚔 — Police/gang tension

1.3 Sexual Content Emojis

• 🍆 — Penis
• 🍑 — Bottom
• 🌮 / 🌭 — Vagina
• 💦 — Ejaculation
• 👅 — Oral sex
• 😈 / 🥵 — Arousal
• 📸 — Sending explicit images

1.4 Mental Health and Self-Harm Emojis

• 🔪 — Cutting
• 🖤 — Depression
• 💔 — Heartbreak
• 😶‍🌫️ — Dissociation
• 🍽️ — Eating disorder symbol
• 🌪 — Chaos, emotional overwhelm
• 🕳️ — Depression, hopelessness

1.5 Emojis Linked to Extremism & Incel Culture

• 🔴 Red Pill — “Woken up” to misogynistic beliefs
• 🔵 Blue Pill — “Blind” to society’s lies
• 💥 Dynamite — Radicalisation
• 🫘 Kidney Bean — Mocking women
• 💯 100 — “80/20 rule” belief (only top 20% of men are attractive)
• 🐸 Frog — Pepe meme, often used in far-right memes
• 🦅 Eagle — Nationalism/far-right symbolism
• 💀 Skull — Nihilism or dark humour

1.6 Emojis Often Overlooked

• ❤️ Red Heart — Traditional love and affection
• 💜 Purple Heart — Admiration or, at times, sexual desire
• 🖤 Black Heart — Sadness or emotional numbness
• 💙 Blue Heart — Loyalty, sadness, sometimes adult content
• 💚 Green Heart — Jealousy or new love
• 💛 Yellow Heart — Friendship, but sometimes betrayal
• 🤍 White Heart — Purity, condolence, or secret messaging
• 👀 Eyes — Interest or watching, sometimes suggestive
• 🤐 Zipper-Mouth — Keeping a secret
• 😈 Devil Face — Mischief, flirtation, or sexual intent

Section 2: Abbreviations and Slang

2.1 Common Slang

• FRFR — For real, for real
• WYLL — What you look like?
• GYAT — Objectifying someone’s body
• FML — F*** my life
• SI — Self-injury
• KMS — Kill myself (take seriously)
• 420 — Cannabis reference

2.2 Sexual or Secretive Abbreviations

• FYEO — For your eyes only
• GNOC — Get naked on camera
• NIFOC — Naked in front of computer
• IWSN — I want sex now
• CU46 — See you for sex
• P911 / P999 / CD9 — Parents nearby
• KPC — Keep parents clueless
• TDTM — Talk dirty to me

Section 3: Incel Language & Online Radicalisation

“Incel” means involuntary celibate. These are mostly young men who blame women for their lack of romantic or sexual success. But it goes deeper than that—it’s now part of a broader extremist online network known as the manosphere.

3.1 Key Terms

• Chad — Stereotypical attractive man
• Stacy — Stereotypical attractive woman
• Normie — A person who follows social norms
• Femoid — Dehumanising term for women
• Simp — Man who’s “too nice” to women
• Based — Praised for controversial beliefs
• LDAR — Lay Down And Rot (hopelessness)

3.2 The “Pill” System

• Blue Pill — Ignorant to “the truth”
• Red Pill — Believes men are oppressed by women
• Black Pill — Believes everything is hopeless, sometimes glorifies violence

3.3 From Memes to Threats

• Pepe the Frog — Often used in extremist meme culture
• Going ER — A reference to Elliot Rodger, a mass attacker idolised in some incel spaces
• Lookism — Belief that appearance dictates value
• Hypergamy — Idea that women only date the top men

Incel ideology has been cited in at least a dozen violent attacks since 2000—most committed by young men, often targeting women and those who “fit in” with society.

Section 4: What Parents Can Do

• Be aware – Know the language, symbols, and behaviour that could signal a problem.
• Talk early and often – Don’t wait until something goes wrong to bring this up.
• Use empathy – Many young people in these spaces are lonely, isolated, or struggling with mental health.
• Don’t fear monitoring – Phone checks, screen time reviews, and open tech policies don’t make you controlling—they make you responsible.
• Challenge sexism and hate – The manosphere thrives on misogyny. Don’t let it go unchecked.

“Ideally, your child isn’t anywhere on the radicalisation scale. But if they are—catch it early. Not with blame, but with conversation.”

Final Thoughts

This isn’t about panicking. It’s about being informed, prepared, and ready to parent with eyes open.

You don’t need to be an expert to make a difference. You just need to stay engaged, ask questions, and never be afraid to look deeper into what’s really happening on your child’s screen.

If you’ve made it this far, bookmark this guide. Share it. Save it. You might not need it today—but one day, you just might.

Note: As a sidenote or for extra information I do recommend watching the Emma and Matt Willis Channel 4 Documentary where they showcase how TikTok algorithms work and what they show teenagers. It is full of useful (and eye-opening information) for parents and is based on them actually experimenting with the algorithms real time.