Gone are the days when we were limited to the 26 letters of the alphabet to make up slang words and phrases. Today, kids and adults alike use emojis to convey emotions quickly and subtly, whether it's adding a single heart at the end of a text thread or a dozen different symbols in the caption of a social media post.

Yet, we all know no one wields them quite like the fast-moving fingers of a texting teen. So Gen Z and Gen Alpha definitely take the 🏆 when it comes to expert emoji usage. But just like any method of communication, these little images can take on larger, more complex meanings than we can often keep up with. 

Teens are upping the ante when it comes to the fun that can be had with emojis. According to the latest research, young people use emojis in much more complex ways than adults. Not only that, emoji use is often interpreted differently by each age group.

“If you just look at the way kids text, they are all quick and they don't care about spelling and punctuation,” explains Titania Jordan, Chief Parent Officer of online safety company Bark Technologies. “Emojis are the next step. They are fun, they are colorful, and I can see how they are great from an entertainment standpoint.” 

Erin Walsh, author of “It's Their World: Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence” and co-founder of Spark & Stitch Institute agrees, adding, “Kids certainly still use them as straightforward expressions, but they also use emojis sarcastically, humorously, as symbols for other words, and in ways that vary depending upon the content and context of the text exchange."

So what does this mean for parents struggling to make sense of it all? First, what it doesn’t mean is that we should panic.

“While the meaning of some emojis can absolutely indicate risky behaviors or concerning relationship dynamics, adolescents are often doing what they have always done: finding ways to use language and symbols for their own purposes of experimenting with their identities, seeking autonomy from adults, and building connections with peers,” Walsh says.

Instead, experts advise parents to get up to speed on how teens are using emojis so you can intervene if you spot something alarming. 

Bark rounds up the most widely-used emojis via the company's advanced safety monitoring algorithm. Here are the ones teens are using most and what they mean in 2025:

Whether they’re chatting about their crush or how they just got out of having to do extra credit work, here are common emojis teens are using in everyday communications: 

🥴 - Used to express drunkenness, sexual arousal, or a grimace

🙃 - Used to express annoyance about something

🤡 - Used when getting caught in a mistake or when feeling like a fraud

👻 - Indicates being “ghosted” (dumped/cut off communication with no explanation)

🧢 - Symbolizes a lie, which could also be called a “cap”

👉👈 - Shy, nervous (usually in the context of flirting)

🧿 - Represents warding off the "evil eye"

⏳ - Used when someone has an “hourglass” body shape

🚛 - “Dump truck,” which refers to a large and/or shapely bottom

🥶 - Often used in response to a snarky or "savage" comment as in, "That was cold"

👁️ 👄 👁️ - A response that means, “It is what it is”

🧚‍♀️✨- Can be used in comments to denote a sarcastic, mean-spirited tone

💳 - Often used on TikTok to express wanting something portrayed in the video

💯 - A stamp of approval; “I agree”

Let’s just say the sexual meaning given to emoji can be, well, pretty literal when it comes to what the icon could resemble. Don’t say we didn’t warn you:

🍆 or 🍌 - Penis

🌮 or 😼 - Vagina

💦 or 🥜 - To ejaculate

🧠 or  ⭕ 💢 - Oral sex

🍑 - Butt

🍒 - Breasts/testicles/virginity

🍝 - Represents nudes, which are often called “noods”

👀 - Used when sending or receiving nudes

🥵 -  Means “hot” in a sexual sense

🤤  - Desiring someone sexually (often used in response to nudes)

😈 - Feeling naughty or frisky

👅 - May indicate sexual activity, especially oral sex

🔨 - Used to refer to sexual activity

🌶️ - Indicates “spiciness,” i.e., inappropriate or risque content

🌽 - Means “porn” and is used because porn rhymes with corn.

⬛️ 🟧 - Refers to Pornhub

P ⭐️ - Represents “porn star”

S 🥚 s - “Sex”

There are actually less uses of substance related emoji slang compared to sexual emoji slang among tweens and teens, according to Jordan. Still, these are ones they’ve spotted:

🌿, 🍁, 🎄, 🍃, 🥦, 🍀, 🌴,💨, 🔥 - Marijuana/weed

💉,🐉,🐎 ,🎯,🤎 - Heroin

❄️, 🥥,🤧, 🔑,⛄,🎱, 🐡 - Cocaine

🍼,🍇 ,💜,🔮 - Cough syrup

🍬, ❤⚡,🤯,   ❌, 🍬, ❤️ - MDMA

🍄  - Psilocybin or “magic” mushrooms

🗿- Stoned

🧅 - Ounce, i.e., an ounce of a substance one is buying or selling

💎, 🏔,  💙, 🧪 - Crystal meth

🚌,🍫, 💊 - Xanax

💊 , 🅿️, 🔵 , 🍌- Can be used to mean prescription pills, drugs in general, or oxycodone

🔌  - A plug, i.e., a drug dealer or someone who can “hook you up” with contraband

🤑, 💰, 💵, 👑 - drug deal advertising

💨, 🚬  - Smoking a joint

⚗️ - Used to indicate a bong

🚀 - Can mean high-quality or being very intoxicated

⛽  - Gassed, i.e., intoxicated. Can also refer to high-quality marijuana

🔥 - To “blaze” a joint or to be “lit,” meaning intoxicated

🥧 , 🍪 - A large amount of drugs

If your head spinning, you’re not alone. “Even with our algorithm, it is very hard to stay on top of the millions of ways an emoji can be used and interpreted by teens and tweens,” Jordan says. 

Emojis are a huge part of adolescent communication, with meanings that are dynamic and not always straightforward. Rather than flagging emojis as stand-alone nefarious code, experts agree that the most important thing to do is turn your attention to your teen rather than their phone.

It’s natural to feel shocked, angry, or even guilty as a parent. But rather than reacting with a punishment, bring it back to building your relationship, Jordan says. “What I have done with my own family is to be calm, let my child know I’m a safe place, and that my job is to protect him,” she says.

Instead of asking your teen about the emoji itself, ask them what's going on in their lives that called for it's use in the first place, Jordan says. For example, if you spot a drug-related emoji, ask if there are any conversations about drugs lately at school. “These should be ongoing discussions,” Jordan says.

If your teen’s attitude or daily habits (sleeping or seeing friends) have changed, start the conversation there from a place of care. “The biggest protective factor for teens is purposeful boundaries and open communication with caring adults,” Walsh says.

Experts also suggest parents include emojis in their ongoing conversations with teens about things like drug use, drug sales online, sex, sexual decision making, and cyberbullying.