Police warn parents over 'alternative meanings' of emojis

Officers say that ‘snowflake’ images in texts or ‘fruit’ emojis may not be as harmless as they seem.

They are urging parents, carers, teachers and others working with children to be ‘emoji aware.’

A spokesperson said: “We want to highlight the serious meaning these emojis can take on, we are keen to stress that the use of these emojis on their own does not necessarily mean a child is involved in drugs.

"Instead, this may be seen as part of a bigger picture of a change in their behaviour. Other changes may include, but aren’t limited to, changes in their mood, a change in their performance at school or them becoming increasingly secretive.

Detective Chief Inspector Kate Hyder of Surrey Police 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.”

She added: “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.”

Information and guidance is available for children and parents from a number of organisations including ‘Talk to FRANK’, the NSPCC and Childline.

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The police spokesperson added: “This is about encouraging parents and guardians to have conversations with their children at a time that works for everyone involved. What is vital in these discussions is trust.

"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.”