Off The Record

Police Issue Urgent Warning If You See Horse Emoji On Your Child’s Phone

Published on March 22, 2025

In the current digital era, parenting presents a whole new set of difficulties.

It’s more difficult than ever to keep up with what kids are actually saying online since they are addicted to their screens and social media is changing so quickly.

Police are now cautioning parents to watch out for an emoji that may appear innocent but could actually be an indication of something lot more sinister.

The secret language of emojis

Kids now primarily connect through social media and texting applications, but many are unaware of the risks involved. Unfortunately, in today’s environment, every youngster who uses the internet should have a safe experience and easy access to information for online safety.

Children are more at risk than ever before from extreme ideologies and internet predators.

Authorities have now discovered that several emojis are being used by young people as codewords. The horse emoji 🐴 has caused significant alarm.

What the horse emoji really means

Although most parents might think their child is referring to horses, the horse emoji is actually a reference to the potent sedative ketamine. Teenagers and young adults are abusing ketamine, commonly referred to as “Special K,” due to its hallucinatory properties.

The alert coincides with a nationwide crackdown by law authorities on covert drug allusions in text messages and online chats. Police are cautioning parents to monitor their children’s online activities and comprehend the hidden connotations of popular emojis.

More emojis parents need to watch for

The horse emoji isn’t the only one with a deeper meaning. A list of emojis commonly used to allude to narcotics has also been made public by police, and it includes:

Alien, skull, or demon mask – MDMA (Ecstasy or “Molly”)
Snowflake or snowman – Cocaine
Maple leaf, tree, or four-leaf clover – Marijuana
Cake, ice cream, or certain fruits (grapes, lemons, cherries) – Edibles or cannabis products

Additionally, the list goes beyond drug allusions. The manosphere and incel movements have their own emoji-based coding system, as the well-liked Netflix series Adolescence recently revealed.

Netflix’s Adolescence and the Hidden World of Online Radicalization

The emergence of misogynistic online influencers who prey on young males has been highlighted by the popular Netflix miniseries Adolescence.

The show centers on a 13-year-old child who, after being exposed to manosphere content, becomes radicalized and commits a fatal act of violence.

Emojis are employed in the program as covert incel cultural emblems, such as:

Dynamite emoji—A symbol for incels, meaning an “exploding red pill”
100 emoji—A reference to the “80/20 rule,” a belief that only 20% of men attract 80% of women
Kidney bean emoji—Used to call someone an incel

An alarming number of young boys are being drawn to the manosphere, a collection of toxic online forums that promote extreme sexism and anti-feminist views, according to experts. Parents must remain informed because social media platforms have facilitated the spread of harmful messages.

Dr. Robert Lawson, a sociolinguistics specialist from Birmingham City University in the UK, describes how the movement has embraced the pill emoji (💊) in an article for The Conversation.

Characters in the movie are able to discover “the truth” and escape the Matrix’s delusions by swallowing the red pill.

”The cyberpunk blockbuster The Matrix is the source of a key symbol in the manosphere – the red pill,” he said.

According to Dr. Lawson, males who identify as “red-pilled” in the manosphere think they have realized the “real” nature of women’s behavior and dating preferences.

What parents can do

Children’s communication styles change along with digital culture. Emojis may appear innocuous, but parents should be aware that they might have hidden meanings. Parents can accomplish the following:

Stay informed: Stay abreast of the most recent developments in emoji definitions and online lingo.
Talk openly: With your children about the risks of drug use and radicalization on the internet.
Monitor digital activity: Without violating your child’s privacy, keep an eye on their social media contacts.
Employ parental controls: A lot of apps come with features that can be used to help filter inappropriate information.

Although the internet can be a very useful tool, there are risks involved.