In the texts, on Snapchat, Instagram, Tiktok, the teenagers employ emojis in a loop. However, behind some of them hide coded messages, sometimes heavy with meaning, even disturbing. The latest Netflix “adolescence” series demonstrates it in a hard -hitting way.
The series Adolescencecurrently on Netflix, starts with an investigation into the death of a middle school. Quickly, all eyes turn to Jamie, 13 years old. His publications, his messages, his attitude: everything seems ladle. But what troubles the most is this parallel language that he uses with his group of friends of the same age. The intrigue then pushes the parents to ask this question: do we really know what our children say online? Emojis have become a full -fledged language. Some use it to seduce, others to make fun, still others to assert sometimes harsh opinions to hear. And this is where things get tough.
An example: color hearts. Red for love, purple for physical attraction, yellow to say “you like it”, pink for a softer affection, orange to calm the game. Between teens, everything is clear. For parents, difficult to be more dropped. But it doesn’t stop there. Aubergine, fishing and cherries would refer to a sexual act. The emoji nose, the flocon or the snowman would refer to cocaine. The emoji dynamite illustrated, for his part, by a small pill which explodes would refer to the name “incel”, that is to say the contraction of “celibate Involuntary”, in other words “You are a virgin and you will remain so“. Even the red bean would evoke belonging to a group advocating masculinism … in short, so many codes and languages particularly disturbing as to the evolution of our teens.
Jenny Warwick, therapist specializing in parent-child relationships, invites not to dramatize. “Keep an open and curious mind”she explains for the magazine Metro. “Ask questions without judgment. Ask them what they think of the content they see.” The idea is not to spy, but to understand, and above all, to listen. She also recommends speaking healthy relationships with them, and group effects created by social networks. “You have to teach them to wonder where an info comes from, why she is shared, what is the goal behind.” In short, helping them keep a critical mind, before others do it for them.
If some parents may be tempted to cut their access to social networks, it is a bad idea, she said. “Better to talk with them about what they are looking at, lay down limits together, discuss screen times. It is support, not control.” And if something changes – anger, withdrawal, lies – it’s time to talk about it.
