Blog>
Cyberbullying Takes New Hidden Forms - How to Recognize Harmful Emojis
AI in Education
10 min read

Cyberbullying Takes New Hidden Forms - How to Recognize Harmful Emojis

In this article, we explain the broader social context of the Netflix-revealed cyberbullying problem and track back how emojis are just the tip of the iceberg.
Cyberbullying
Written by
Catherine B.
Published on
Apr 3, 2025
Table of contents
Recall five kids or teenagers you know by name. The chance is that at least one of them is or was being bullied, according to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center.
Even worse, you may see no cyberbullying signs. The child you know may be bullied via emojis in their direct messages, comments under their photos, or class group chat. How would you know about that happening?
StudyPro collects cyberbullying reports in this article and observes new trends exposed by the new Netflix Adolescence series. By the end of the article, you will learn what cyberbullying via emojis is, how this reflects new social media cyberbullying forms, and what to do about online abuse.

Cyber Bullies Are Using Hidden Threats - What’s Happening in Schools?

What’s happening in schools? In general, it’s nothing new: adolescent violence and untamed teenage hormonal changes make schools dangerous places.
However, some factors indeed make a difference to eternal pubertal problems: it’s getting harder to tell if a child is being bullied.
How come?
  • Cyberbullying tracking complexities. A cyberbully is a person who mocks, teases, harasses or threatens other people via text, image, video, or other harmful content on online platforms. Tracking such online activities across different platforms, direct private communication, and closed group chats is quite hard.
  • Coded language obstacle. Additionally, teens are using specific coded languages for their harmful behavior. One such example is using emojis for sexual harassment, resentment and exclusion of certain groups of teenagers from friendship groups, and harming victims’ self-esteem.
If a parent or an educator is not in the loop of emoji meaning, they won’t notice the signs of cyberbullying. It takes knowing what emojis mean and knowing the contextual subcultures and ideologies leading to online bullying.
Here are the key factors of how the new cyberbullying behaviors differ from traditional bullying:
Aspect
Offline bullying
Cyberbullying
Form
Physical aggression (hitting, pushing), verbal insults, social exclusion, and spreading rumors in person.
Online harassment, doxxing, spreading rumors via social media, cyberstalking, impersonation.
Visibility
Often happens in public school areas, such as hallways, stairwells, cafeterias, school grounds, school buses, bathrooms, or classes while the teacher is not present.
Being bullied online often happens in personal text messages, closed groups, chat rooms, commentaries, and online games.
If cyberbullying is happening, the abusers use fake accounts/ create multiple accounts and bots endlessly.
Tracking potential
It is hard to notice for outsiders who don’t observe the unsupervised group. However, it is still easier to notice compared to online activities, as it happens in public places and has more witnesses.
Online abuse is much harder to track social media for the variety of platforms, account details, private chat and group functions.
If teens used coded language, even the public comment section or online games spaces may not be decoded as cyberbullying.
Anonymity
The bully is usually known to the victim.
Bullies can hide behind fake accounts and can create multiple bots.
Persistence
Ends when the victim leaves the environment.
Being harassed online continues 24/7, with no escape, even at home. Instant messaging makes social media sides “a ticking bomb” for a victim.
Evidence
Harder to prove, often based on witness accounts.
Digital traces (screenshots, messages, posts) can serve as evidence.

Cyberbullying and Emojis. Why Do Teens Use Slang and Coded Languages?

On average, adults (college level and older) use 0 to 5 emojis per conversation, while the high school students and younger children use 6 to 10 emojis - according to a comparison study.
6.webp
Therefore, parents and educators have little to no awareness about the evolving way of communication (and online bullying behaviour, too).
But why do teens use coded language? Teens use slang and hidden meanings for a few reasons:
  1. The need for a rebellion phase. Standing up to traditional social norms and parental rules is normal in adolescence. Teenagers need to rebel to learn their self-identity, establish personal boundaries, and have their own perspectives. Coded language is a part of “having something on their own”.
2. The need for belonging. Young person needs peer validation more than of their family and older mentors. Group belonging is also an essential part of finding their place in society. Coded language is a bonding mechanism, where “I speak the same language you do” means “I belong with you.”
3. Protection from unwanted interventions. Parents and educators can see from the outside how harmful adolescent behaviors are destructive for themselves and everyone around them. However, from the inside of the teenage group, the prevention appears as control, a lack of trust, and an inability to make their own mistakes.
Why do teens use emojis, then?
Emojis are coded language by default. They concisely deliver a range of meanings dependent on the context. For example, a smiley face can mean both “I am happy now” and “You did the project well, let’s approve it.”

How to Understand Teen-Coded Language? Gen Z Emojis Meanings

To understand teen-coded language, you need to generally stay aware of the ongoing trends in adolescent culture and try establishing trusting relationships with adolescents.
Here are some common abusive messages behind innocent emojis used for online bullying sorted by category:

General Harmless Emojis Used for Social Media Cyberbullying

Emoji
Emoji description
Emoji meaning
🤡
Clown mask
Clown mask emoji stands for insulting someone as foolish, naive, or embarrassing.
💀
Skull
Skull emoji means laughing and mocking someone. Generally used for “it’s so funny I’m dead out of laughing.” If used with negative messages, it adds a mocking tone to the insult.
🦍
Gorilla
Gorilla emoji means a racist or derogatory comment, insulting someone as unintelligent.
🦗
Cricket
Cricket emoji implies that someone is being ignored, mocking them for being excluded from the group or conversation.
🥱
Yawning face
Yawning face emoji means dismissing someone as boring or irrelevant.
👏
Clapping hands
Clapping hands emoji means sarcastic or mocking tone as if sarcastically clapping a person for doing something embarrassing.
✨
Sparkles
Sparkles emojis, if used with passive-aggressive messages, mean high levels of sarcasm and mocking.

Sexual-Reference Hidden Emoji Meaning

Emoji
Emoji description
Emoji meaning
🐷
Pig
Pig emoji meaning refers to a person in a sexual context, implying they allow you to do many unconventional actions to them.
🍜
Noodles
Noodles emoji refers to the request to send inappropriate photos, used for its consonance with “nudes”.
🍆 🍌 🌭
Eggplant, banana, hotdog
Such emojis as eggplant, banana, and hotdog can refer to male reproductive organs.
🍇
Grape
The grape emoji refers to forced sexual intercourse, for being consonant with “rape.”
😺 ✌️ 🌮 🍑 🍒
Cat, peace hand sign, taco, peach, cherries
Cat, peace hand sign, taco, peach, and cherries emojis can refer to female reproductive organs.
👉👌 👅 🍩
Point right + OK hand sign, tongue, donut
Point right + OK hand sign, tongue, and donut emojis can refer to different types of sexual activities.

Self-harm and Mental Health Emojis

These symbols are usually used with a mental-health-related meaning in tattoos. However, the same meaning may apply to emoji representation in text communication as well.
Emoji
Emoji description
Emoji meaning
🧷
Safety pin
A safety pin symbol means the person may have attempted self-harm or suicide. In this case, a safety pin is a promise to live, to not do that again.
ଳ
Jellyfish, Medusa
Medusa Gorgona symbol refers to the survivors of sexual violence as a reference to the victim’s strength in overcoming the situation.
🦋
Butterfly
A butterfly emoji is a symbol of rebirth, meaning that a person may have overcome mental health issues.

Substance Abuse Indicating Emojis

Emoji
Emoji description
Emoji meaning
🌿🍁🌴🍃☘️🥦
Herb, maple leaf, palm tree, leaf fluttering, shamrock, broccoli
These emojis in some contexts may refer to marijuana.
❄️☃️🥥
Snowflake, snowman, coconut
These emojis in some contexts may refer to cocaine.
💉🎯🐉
Syringe, bullseye, dragon
These emojis in some contexts may refer to heroin.
💎🔮
Gem stone, crystal ball
These emojis in some contexts may refer to crystal methamphetamine.

What Is the Manosphere? Netflix Adolescence Series Uncovers Cyberbullying

Adolescence, a new 2025 Netflix series, is a good example of how small, harmless emoji signs can hide vast online abuse potential on social platforms.
Adolescence tells the story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, suspected of murdering his classmate, Katie. The interrogation leads to uncovering a harmful manosphere subculture that promotes misogynistic ideology and bullying both girls and boys in the process.
The series is not based on any particular true story. However, they are based on actual existing concepts in online bullying, sexual harassment, and teen violence.
So, let’s look at the key terms uncovered by the Adolescence series and how they lead to harmful emoji use.

Incel, Manosphere, and Red Pill Explained

Such concepts as manosphere are especially dangerous in cyberbullying. They assign a deeper meaning to casual teenage animosity.
Imagine being 13 years old, experiencing mental health problems and simultaneously rejection from the opposite gender. Losing confidence personally is an issue to be overcome. But having a whole toxic belief system calling you inherently unworthy for that deeply hurts teen self-image and worldview.
So, here are the key terms and hidden-meaning emojis to understand how teens are harassed online with no one noticing:
The term
Coded emoji
Meaning
Manosphere
-
The manosphere is a real network of online forums and groups that present themselves as the right men’s movement.
80/20 principle
💯
Manosphere network first emerged on Reddit and was later popularized by Ian Ironwood, porn marketer and pseudonymous author of the self-published "The Manosphere: A New Hope for Masculinity (2013).” according to a 2017 theoretical concept study.
Red pill
💊
The manosphere ideology relies on distorted ideas of evolutionary psychology, claiming that 80% of women are attracted to only 20% of alpha males - those that present masculinity as physical strength, domination, and aggression.
Incell (bomb, kidney beans emoji)
🧨 🥜
Incells (involuntarily celibate), according to the ideology, are those men who cannot have intimate relationships with women for their own inability to “trick” females into it and hence are bullied for it.
An alternative part of the movement blames females for being too picky and unavailable for satisfying male sexual needs.

How Does Bullying Affect Teens' Mental Health? (And Other Factors)

Online harassment has multiple negative effects on teens’ mental health, academic performance, and life quality.
Here are some data-proven records of how bullying behavior harms high school students:
Area of student life
Effects of bullying
Statistical findings
Academic success
  • Decreased concentration
  • Mental overload
  • Issues with retaining information
  • Academic disengagement
  • Lower grades
  • Higher risk of skipping school
“Children who suffered chronic levels of bullying during their school years (24 percent of the sample) had lower academic achievement” - American Psychology Association.
Social life
  • Damaged self-esteem
  • Inability to build social connections
  • Trust issues
  • Fear of rejection
  • Lack of trust in their capacities
  • Social isolation
Bullying is directly correlated with lower ability of victims to engage in any further social and group activities - 2024 moderated mediation model research.
Mental health
  • High risks of anxiety and depression disorders
  • Higher suicidal ideations concerning both the bully and the victim
  • Increased violence risks
  • Chronic emotional dysregulation
  • Damaged reproductive health
“In 12 of 15 school shooting cases in the 1990s, the shooters had a history of being bullied.” - according to cyberbullying research by stopbullying.gov (an official website of the United States government)
Physical health
  • Somatic issues (headaches, stomach aches)
  • Damaged sleeping habits
  • Being in immediate danger with a risk to student life
According to the 2023 Global School-Based Student Survey, “The pooled prevalence of serious injury ranged from 45.10 % to 50.11 %.”
Cyberbullying statistics clearly imply one conclusion: there may be nothing wrong with those kids who struggle academically and skill-wise. They may have great capacities and potential - simply ruined by constant bullying experiences.

What Parents, Teachers, and Students Can Do to Address Cyberbullying?

Online harassment is a complex, multi-facet problem. However, it is not hopeless. Let’s see the first-aid action items checklists for different categories:
  • Parents, trusted adults who suspect the child being bullied
  • Educators, school counselor, fellow community members
  • Teens being electronically and physically bullied

How to Tell If Your Child Is Being Cyberbullied? Signs of Cyberbullying for Parents

To tell if the signs you observe are actually cyberbullying or some innocent sub-culture trends, you will need to check the context of how the sign manifests.
Here are three main steps to check the context of a sign:
  • Meaning. If you suspect observing a cyberbullying message, write down what exact connotations are possible. Then, search Google, Quorra, Reddit, TikTok, Pinterest, and artificial intelligence for mentions of this sign. Use queries like “What does X mean?” and “How do teenagers use the x sign?”.
  • Tone and intent. Pay attention to whether the message, emoji, or gesture is used in a friendly, humorous, or aggressive way. If there is a possibility where you can interpret a sign mockingly, it is possibly used for this intent.
  • Cross-check with other messages. A single message might not indicate bullying, but repeated use of a certain phrase, emoji, or reference alongside insults, exclusion, or personal attacks suggests cyberbullying. Look for patterns of negativity.
The honesty of teenagers when answering direct questions depends on their trust in you. If your relationships are not the best at the moment, you may need the help of a third party.

Signs of Cyberbullying in Students: Warning Bells for Educators

In academic settings, the signs of someone being harassed online are more noticeable by observing real-life situations. Here are some examples:
  • Student’s noticeable anxiety when noticing notifications. During class, a student’s phone vibrates, and their expression changes from neutral to visibly distressed. If bullied online, they may quickly turn their phone face down, avoid checking it, or discreetly delete messages. If the situation repeats, it may be a sign to pay closer attention.
  • Signs of rumors spreading in the class. If you notice side-eyes and shushed conversations of multiple students directed at one specific person, it is a clear sign of some online abuse.
  • Any physical violence signs. If you notice harsh behaviors regarding one student in the offline settings, it is likely that the student struggles with online pressure 24/7 as well.

How to Block a Bully Online and More Working Methods for Students

The most obvious action when you are being bullied online is, of course, to report cyberbullying or the physical one. However, we understand that it may not always be the available option for some reason.
So, here are 5 psychology-verified response options for your verbal self-defense:
Method
Explanation
Example
Target their insecurities
Bullies usually harm others because of their own complexes or family situations. Verbal abuse is bad, but it still works as a self-defence tool, similar to the rules applied to firearm weapons.
“What, are you doing this because otherwise you have no other options to prove your worth?”
Deflect with humor
Humor can disarm the bully in social settings if other people around react to your joke positively. It lowers their position and supports yours.
"Oh wow, did you spend all night thinking of that insult? So impressive.”
Expose the absurdity
Bullies often rely on exaggerated claims or illogical insults. Pointing out their absurdity can weaken their impact.
“Yeah, sure, I’m a nerd for wearing glasses, that’s why they put a pair on Tony Stark too. To make his fans nurd-obsessive.”
Use the broken record technique
If you highlight how unoriginal they are in bullying, you weaken their arguments.
"Okay. Sure. If you say so. I heard that before. Come later with something I didn’t hear."
Try exaggerated empathy
Bullies often fear appearing weak. Use the reversed method of exposing their insecurities.
“You’re so mean all the time, is somebody abusing you? Maybe we can go together to the school counselor? It’s no shame, I promise.”
If you face cyberbullying, and the bullies are creating fake accounts endlessly, you may need private account settings instead of regular blocking. Both mobile phones and social media sites usually have such functions.

Sum Up

  • One out of every five teenagers is being bullied, according to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center.
  • The online bullying may go absolutely unnoticed if it happens through hidden language, like the one of emojis.
  • Adults and older generations don’t understand hidden bullying languages. On average, adults use 0 to 5 emojis per conversation, while high school students and younger children use 6 to 10 emojis.
  • Online abuse happens in comment sections, private messages, chat rooms, or online games. Creating fake accounts propels cyberbullying to 24/7 torture for young people.
  • Cyberbullying harms students’ performance, mental and physical health, and social adaptation.
  • Cyberbullying and hidden toxic messages may be a part of larger doctrines, like what happened in the case of the manosphere.
The main takeaway from this article we suppose you take is this: Hidden emoji language is not an absolutely new phenomenon. It is only a new form. Bullying and harmful ideologies are known as long as humanity is. The only new challenge is to stay updated with the emerging formats it takes.
Become a Part of the Future
Start with all-in-one StudyPro AI tool to write better!

Frequently asked questions

To know what the particular emoji means (like cowboy face, clown, devil, or stone face) you need to search for direct and contextual meaning. For example, a stone face originally referred to stone statues in Easter Island, Chile. But in Gen Z culture, the emoji means “poker face”, being unimpressed or embarrassed.
The skull emoji (💀) is an exaggerated metaphor, referring to launching so hard one is dying. It is an equivalent of the millennials’ usage of face laughing with tears (😂). The emoji may be a sign of a person being bullied online.
The signs of internet bullying are atypical comments or direct messages that look like they have some unclear meaning and teenagers becoming skittish around the topic of online communication.
Sources:
  • Bullying statistics. PACER Center - Champions for Children with Disabilities. (n.d.). https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/stats.asp
  • Cho Y. (2021). A Comparison Study of Emoji Use among High School Students and Adults. International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 9 (3), 135-139. https://www.researchpublish.com/upload/book/paperpdf-1627297251.pdf
  • Ging, D. (2017). Alphas, Betas, and incels: Theorizing the masculinities of the Manosphere. Men and Masculinities, 22(4), 638–657. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184x17706401
  • American Psychological Association. (2017). School Bullying Linked to Lower Academic Achievement, Research Finds. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/01/school-bullying#:~:text=Children%20who%20suffered%20chronic%20levels,a%20greater%20dislike%20of%20school
  • Wang, Y.-J., & Chen, I.-H. (2023). Effect of school bullying on students’ peer cooperation: A moderated mediation model. Children, 11(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11010011
  • Effects of bullying. StopBullying.gov. (2025, February 3). https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/effects
  • Ran, H., Yang, Q., Fang, D., Che, Y., Chen, L., Liang, X., Sun, H., Peng, J., Wang, S., & Xiao, Y. (2022). Social Indicators with serious injury and school bullying victimization in vulnerable adolescents aged 12-15: Data from the Global School-Based Student Survey. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4099436
No tags available

Stay Informed

Get the inside scoop with our latest news!