Emojis: More Than Just a Smiley Face
Every generation has its drug slang. The terms and shorthand change with every decade. Teens today talk about drugs in a way that adds a new twist, using a language they’re fluent in, emojis. These emojis can look like ordinary, harmless symbols, which parents may easily overlook. A transaction on Venmo may look completely innocent when, in reality, it’s a drug dealer’s receipt. A drug-themed social media post may make it past community guidelines, spreading more information about these illicit substances.
Teenagers are buying deadly drugs from strangers on social media and they don’t even have to name the narcotic they’re looking for. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), tech-savvy teens simply message a sequence of emojis that symbolize the substance they’re after so that their dealer can avoid any kind of digital detection. The secret codes also help to keep their habits a secret from their parents, who likely have no idea what the emojis actually represent.
Now, the DEA has released a chart titled “Emoji Drug Code: Decoded ” to raise awareness about the cryptic set of symbols amid the soaring number of adolescent overdose deaths. -The New York Post
According to the chart, Percocet and oxycodone can be ordered simply by sending emojis of a pill, a blue dot and a banana.
Heroin, on the other hand, can soon be on a teen’s doorstep if they text an emoji of a brown heart and an emoji of a dragon.
The DEA claims there are emojis that symbolize a request for “high potency” drugs. If you see a bomb, firework or rocket ship emoji in your teen’s text chain, you might want to be on alert.
There are many parental control apps out there that will help you monitor texts, email, YouTube, apps, and social media platforms for signs of issues like cyberbullying, sexual content, online predators, depression, suicidal ideation, threats of violence, and more. Due to constant changes within technology, we do not have a particular app we endorse, however, there are many platforms out there for you to choose from.