Behind the seemingly cute symbols, something sinister lurks. Over the weekend, Q13 FOX Seattle reported on the secret emoji codes teen use to evade the watchful eyes of their parents.
Image via Q13 FOX
“A skull, arrow and a flame,” news anchor John Hopperstad warned. “That can be saying to someone, I hope you die in a fire. Now as parents, we can look at these and have no idea what they mean.”
Alright who snitched pic.twitter.com/Y1h0tv8mrg
— uncle bry 🇦🇷 (@Bry_Nap) February 2, 2017
Who knew?
But it doesn’t stop there. As “cyber expert” Bryan Seely explained to the anchors, holding a smartphone aloft, “You gotta know what’s going on in [your child’s] world because this phone. This is their world. For almost all of them.”
So what dangers hide within the secret world of teens? Hopperstad told viewers that teens “are always ten steps ahead of us.” Luckily, he obtained access to these secret teen codes, and he’s not afraid to tell the world. Brace yourselves:
“A flower? This can also mean drugs.”
A frog? In the secret code of teens, “it can mean I think you’re ugly… Cyberbullying can be part of this.”
Eyes? “That can mean ‘I’m watching you.’ But, we’re always worried about sexting. This can also mean, ‘Send me naked pictures of you.’”
So where do we go from here?
If you’re a parent, monitor your child’s phone. Keep your children safe. [Q13 FOX]