Slang is ever-changing. Words spring up seemingly out of nowhere and, after dominating classrooms for weeks, disappear again just as suddenly.
It is easy to dismiss slang as unimportant, but from a pastoral and safeguarding perspective, the words students use can act as red flags. If we don’t understand the language that the students in our care are using, we are potentially missing vital information.
And with the ever-growing dominance of social media, slang is no longer confined to the spoken word. As social media apps use algorithms to stamp out certain content, emojis and slang can be used to post about banned topics or circumvent age restriction filters.
This is especially common on apps such as TikTok, which are used by an increasing number of teens and pre-teens. There is an alarming amount of hyper-sexualised content on TikTok, which, because of the emojis or slang in the caption, can bypass any filters a device might have in place. These emojis and slang terms then become part of the “algospeak” used by teens to try to beat the algorithms.
Slang safeguarding risks
Alongside this, there has been a rise in misogynistic content masquerading as aspirational or promoting “traditional family values”. As a result, much of the current slang is rooted in misogyny.
Because slang often doesn’t sound offensive, it’s easy to hear new words, or see a new emoji doing the rounds, and to let it go without paying much attention to it.
By doing that, we’re missing a vital insight into the experiences of a child. They could be using words with meanings that are way beyond their years - and this could be the first piece of an important puzzle.
Beyond potential safeguarding issues, a lack of understanding could lead to misogynistic or sexist words being used in class without challenge, either towards other students or even towards staff.
So what seemingly innocuous words or emojis should teachers be on the lookout for in student communications on Teams and other messaging apps, or when investigating pastoral issues?
Emojis
Here are some examples of emojis your students might be using that have a meaning beyond the obvious.
🍑 - Peach = bum
💦 - Splash/droplets = ejaculation
🌽 - Corn = porn (can be seen combined with ⭐)
🍜 - Noodles = “noods” (nudes)
🌶️ - Chilli = “spicy” (risqué) content
🌮 - Taco = female genitalia
🍆 - Aubergine = male genitalia
🐫 - Camel = sex (“humping”)
🍒 - Cherries = breasts
🧠 - Brain = oral sex
Slang
Slang will, of course, vary depending on your location, but here are a few terms that have recently appeared on my radar.
Nyash = bum
Bunda = bum
Gyatt = Americanised shortened form of “God damn”, commonly used with reference to women with curvy figures.
Plug = the “connect” - sometimes used to reference someone who provides drugs, weapons, stolen goods and so on.
Unalive = death. Commonly used with reference to suicide to get around community guidelines.
Cuck = short for “cuckold” which has been used since the 1200s to refer to a man whose wife is unfaithful. The term has seen a resurgence, largely as a result of its use in Alt-Right circles, where it is commonly used to attack or belittle someone’s masculinity.
In safeguarding and pastoral care, we can’t afford to rest on our laurels. We have to constantly be vigilant about the world that our students are living in and, as much as possible, make sure that we are part of it.
Thomas Michael is a safeguarding lead
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