There's an emoji for every situation---or at least, most of them. But abuse? Trauma? Domestic violence? The more serious a situation, the trickier it gets to convey. A new emoji pack wants to make discussing such challenges as easy as choosing an icon.
BRIS, a Swedish non-profit children's rights organization that offers helpline services for children in need, has developed Abused Emoji, an app intended to help young people communicate their emotions, experiences, and struggles using variations on popular emoji.
"Kids issues range from issues about how to fit in or feeling awkward to really dark and heartbreaking stories about violence, sexual abuse, grooming, bullying and suicidal thoughts," says Sylvia Ernhagen, the group's director of communication and advocacy. "A lot of kids in society feel really awful for all kind of different reasons, and Abused Emoji are easily understood symbols for some of these different issues."
Because communicating via emoji is second nature for many children and teens, the idea is they might find it easier to use emoji to express their feelings. Sometimes, conveying such things in words can be difficult, if not damaging. These emoji may help those suffering from abuse or trauma reach out for help earlier. If they can't finds the words, perhaps they can find the symbols.
The Abused Emoji set includes many images that resemble Unicode emoji but have been modified to portray injuries (a child with a black eye or a bandage) or difficult situations (such as a child between two parents and a glass of wine or beer).
"Emoji are a very natural way for children and teenagers to communicate, and we want to show that there’s nothing wrong with reaching out when you feel down," Ernhagen said. "We think that many times when you experience trouble it can be hard to put words on the situation, and these emojis can make it easier to reach out for help." There are many Internet resources for people struggling with depression, abuse, and bullying, but the democratizing the language of communication, and not just the platform of communication, could draw more people out of the shadows. It's an attempt to make often difficult or even taboo subjects that much more "OK" to talk about.
Not everyone is convinced. Gregory Leskin, director for the NCTSN Military and Veteran Families Program at the UCLA/Duke University National Center for Child Trauma, worries about the potential misuse, ambiguity, limitations, and context of the app.
Leskin said he feels positively about "developmentally appropriate" tools, and efforts to develop a set of graphics that help children communicate with professionals and adults about traumatic experiences. Leskin has found children "feel comfortable with technology as a way to express themselves."
However, he worries about the context in which these emoji might be used. People trained in their use---like those at BRIS, which often communicates with children electronically---will be well-suited to interpret and respond to a message. But those who aren't so familiar with these emoji, or emoji in general, may misinterpret or misunderstand what's being communicated. "We need professionals and adults who can respond and know how to respond... we need a response system," Leskin says. Absolutely anyone can download the app, and it's not hard to imagine some misuse or misinterpretation.
Still, it's an inspiring idea, and Abused Emoji could become a viable, even valuable, tool for tech-savvy users and response centers. And there's room to do more. Abused Emoji has a number of emoji for communicating physical abuse, but fewer options for expressing thoughts and situations that are more difficult to convey. Right now, it's only available for mobile, and younger users might not have access to smartphones, a web application would be handy too.
Emoji are rapidly becoming a hallmark of digital communication, and the Internet the great network connecting us all. While emoji are largely thought to be used for lighthearted purposes, research shows we're increasingly using emoji to convey things words cannot. Abused Emoji is about meeting children (and adults) where they're most comfortable and providing a means of communication that may feel more natural for them.
"[Abused Emoji] is going in the right direction," says Leskin. "Future development will bring it closer to where it needs to be."
