The ‘sinister emojis' used by incel teenagers

Telegraph

28-03-2025

Parents are being warned by police and schools about a 'sinister emoji' code used by incel teenagers in the wake of Netflix hit Adolescence.
Forces and teachers across Britain have issued parents with a 'periodic table of sinister emojis' said to be used by under-18s to surreptitiously discuss violence, sex and extremism.
The plot of Adolescence involves the use of emojis by children to spread hidden messages about toxic masculinity and misogyny.
But critics have said the guide reflects a 'moral panic' that has gripped the country following the airing of the television programme.
The emoji code, produced by education charity For Working Parents, outlines 60 symbols used to talk about drugs, violence, sex, self-harm, extremism and incels, meaning involuntary celibates.
These include a hedgehog, which denotes neo-Nazi, a pill, meaning incel, and the OK hand gesture, said to refer to the far-Right.
Other symbols are a dragon for heroin, a ghost for 'anti-woman' and the Devil for lust.
For Working Parents, which aims to create 'inclusive communities', said schools in the South West, London, the Midlands and the North of England were telling parents about the so-called 'emoji code'.
'Sharing this brilliant resource'
Merseyside Police shared the table with schools and parents across the region earlier this week, according to the Liverpool Echo.
South Wirral High School in Eastham, Cheshire, said 'emojis aren't always as innocent as they seem ' as it publicised the code.
It said: 'We're sharing this brilliant resource from For Working Parents – a periodic table of sinister emojis, showing how some emojis are used to hide worrying messages.'
Hailsham Community College, in East Sussex, told parents that Adolescence featured 'dark emojis' that 'every parent should know'.
It said: 'The programme had shone a light on how emojis can, in some instances, be used as a coded language with a more sinister meaning.'
Cllr Simon Minas-Bound, of Basingstoke and Deane borough council, said the table helps parents 'understand what your child might really be saying.
'Keeping up with your kid's online conversations can feel like decoding a secret language,' he said.
Founder Amit Kalley said that parents 'have to be curious' about the emojis their children use, even if they seldom have sinister meanings when used by most people.
He said: 'The table I created is far from an exhaustive list, but I wanted to include emojis beyond incel and misogyny, because lots of young people are groomed online into drugs and violence and lots of young people are involved in dangerous sexual behaviours, which they can hide from parents by using emojis and acronyms.
'Emojis and acronyms change, so parents have to keep researching and keep asking the right questions. We need to normalise conversations about the online world with our children.'
'Anti-male propaganda'
Mike Buchanan, founder of Justice for Men & Boys, said crimes by boys and young men were not being caused by emojis.
'This is a moral panic,' he said. ' There is a boy crisis but of course – due to gynocentrism – the mainstream media's focus is on the impact on girls. Adolescence is a scandalous anti-male propaganda piece.'
Adolescence became the first streaming show to top the UK's weekly TV ratings last week with 6.45 million people in Britain watching it, according to Barb.
It has been praised by Sir Keir Starmer and writer Jack Thorne has said he wants it shown in schools across the country.
The Prime Minister said on Monday: 'There's a reason why the debate has suddenly sparked into life. A lot of people who work with young people at school or elsewhere recognise that we may have a problem with boys and young men that we need to address.'
The emoji guide is not the first to be drawn up. In December 2022, Surrey Police said a 'secret world of emojis' was being used by teenagers to refer to drugs and sex.
Earlier tin March, Nottinghamshire Police issued a list of 52 codewords, hashtags and acronyms that children allegedly use to talk about sex, drugs and mental health conditions.