Netflix’s Adolescence exposes secret, shocking language for kids

Knowing the meaning of the signs can ring alarm bells for parents. 

Netflix’s latest series ‘Adolescence’ has unlocked many new levels of parenting hell for viewers worldwide.

Perhaps the scariest part? Life can so easily imitate art.

In the show, the kids have a specific communication system that, at first glance, seems innocent.

It's far from it. 

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this

RELATED: 'Code 9': Every parent needs to learn this secret language ASAP

13-year-old Jamie Miller, played by Owen Cooper, uses emojis with classmates to disguise sinister messages. 

It's a vital part of his radicalised and misogynistic views on women.

Views that ultimately lead to the murder of a female student, Katie. 

In the second episode  the wild world of emojis starts to unfold, hitting close to home for many parents.  

13-year-old Jamie Miller used sinister emojis with classmates. Image: Netflix

 The toxic meanings of emojis

Red pill 

DI Luke Bascombe, (Ashley Walters), sits down with his son, Adam, who serves as a teenage language interpreter.  

“The red pill is like, ‘I see the truth’. It’s a call to action by the manosphere,” Adam explains. 

Chilling. 

The manosphere is an online space that promotes toxic masculinity, opposition to feminism, and misogyny.

The ‘red pill’ might sound familiar to The Matrix fans, but in these circles, it symbolises confronting the so-called ‘truth’ behind gender roles. 

Dynamite emoji 

This one links to the red pill emoji. 

Katie commented with this emoji on Instagram, and Adam explains it refers to an “exploding red pill.”

It signals someone is an incel—an ‘involuntary celibate’.

According to Step Together NSW, incels are “disaffected young men who gather online.” 

Originally an online support group in the 1990s for people struggling with dating, some incels now harbour intense hatred towards women.  

The red pill, dynamite and 100 emoji are used to communicate misogynistic messages in the Netflix show.

RELATED: Adolescence: If you haven’t met a kid like Jamie, you’re lucky

The 100 Emoji 

This symbolises the 80/20 rule - a belief among Jamie’s group at school.

"80 percent of women are attracted to 20 percent of men. Women, you must trick them because you’ll never get them in a normal way,” Adam explains. 

The Heart Emoji 

There’s a colour-coded system:

Red = love.  

Purple = horny

Yellow = ‘I’m interested, are you interested’

Pink = ‘I’m interested, but not in sex’ 

Orange = ‘You’re going to be fine’ 

“It all has meaning, everything has meaning,” Adam insists.  

Kidney Bean

This emoji is to self-identify as an incel. 

It echoes the coffee bean meme, which has previously been used online to reinforce toxic gender stereotypes and belittle women.  

Hearts have colour coded messages while the kidney bean is used to identify as an incel.

RELATED: ‘Boys will be boys’ is a major cop out for crap parenting

What parents need to know

In January the Australian Federal Police released a list of code words and emojis to be aware of.

“It is very important parents and carers are aware of what kind of emojis and acronyms their children are using when speaking to people online - and what they might mean,” AFP Commander of Human Exploitation, Helen Schneider said.

The complete list of emojis and abbreviations is available on the AFP’s website.

If you suspect a child has been a victim of online child exploitation, report it to the ACCCE.

For immediate danger or ongoing abuse, call 000 immediately. 

Originally published as Netflix’s Adolescence exposes secret, shocking language for kids