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Police have warned parents and teachers of a “secret world of emojis” used by teens to discuss drugs and sex.
Youngsters are using the icons to disguise texts about taboo topics, according to Surrey Police.
And the force suggested dealers could be using the tactic to urge teens to take drugs.
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Officers urged parents to become “emoji aware” and shared graphics of popular icons on social media to encourage adults to guess their hidden meaning.
Cocaine is represented by the nose emoji, a fish, a petrol pump, a snowman or a snowflake.
MDMA/Ecstasy is depicted using a devil icon, a skull, an alien, or a tentacled monster.
And ketamine and Nitrous Oxide are represented using the horse and balloon icons.
Cops also revealed there are 14 icons which can represent cannabis, including a four leaf clover, a lemon, a bunch of grapes, a watermelon, a strawberry, cherries, a pineapple, a dog, a sweet, a cake, an ice cream or a cookie.
Detective chief inspector Kate Hyder said: “We really want parents and guardians to feel confident to have a conversation with their children about this, if and when they need to.
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“We have shared a lot of information around emojis over the past couple of weeks, both on social media and with our local partners to help raise awareness and start the discussion around this.
“Our focus on this doesn’t stop with the end of this initial campaign. We will be continuing to work with local partners to extend the conversation around emojis.
“We’re also aware that emojis and their alternative meanings are something that will constantly change, and so our work and research into this will continue.”
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Surrey Police has passed on the information to schools to share with staff and parents.
The force added although the emojis can have serious meanings, using them in messages does not just mean a child is involved in drugs.
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It said: “This isn’t a campaign that starts and finishes within this two-week window.
“We’re very aware that checking phones could break down this trust between a parent and their child, and therefore we are not suggesting parents do this.
“Instead, we want people to be aware of what these emojis mean, in case they do happen to see them.”
- Cannabis
- Drugs
- Christmas
- Crime
- Police
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