Teen Dating Safety 101

Healthy relationships start with trust, communication, and respect. As a parent or caregiver, you play an important role in helping your teen recognize the difference between healthy and unhealthy behaviors. The following tips and tools can help you start important conversations at home.

• Talk early and often. Normalize open conversations about relationships, emotions, boundaries, and peer pressure. Start before your teen begins dating and continue regularly.
• Set expectations together. Discuss what respect, trust, and healthy boundaries look like and what to do when something doesn’t feel right.
• Empower their independence. Rather than controlling their choices, support your teen in building confidence and decision-making skills.
• Recognize red flags. Teach your teen to identify warning signs like jealousy, isolation, manipulation, or pressure to do things they’re uncomfortable with.
• Create a safety plan. If your teen ever feels unsafe, make sure they know how to reach you, trusted adults, or local support organizations.

Consent

Sexting

Sexting is the sharing of explicit messages, photos, or videos via phone or online platforms. It might seem normal among teens but can carry serious emotional and legal consequences.

• It’s not just private. Once an image is sent, it can be shared or saved without consent. This can result in potentially harming your teen’s mental health and safety.
• It’s often pressured. Teens may feel pushed by peers or partners to share photos. Help them recognize when something feels coercive or unsafe.
• Support matters. If your teen shares that they’ve sent or received explicit content, respond without judgment. Focus on their safety and emotional well-being.

Emoji Slang

Teens may use emojis to talk about dating, intimacy, or sexting in coded ways. While not all emoji use is inappropriate, here are a few symbols commonly used to imply sexual content:

🍆 — Penis

🍑 — Butt

🌮 — Vagina

💦 — Sexual Arousal

👅 — Sexual activity, especially oral sex

🧠 — Oral sex

📸 — Request for nudes

🥴 — Used to express drunkenness or sexual arousal

🚛 — “Dump truck,” which refers to a large and/or shapely bottom

💀 — “Ded,” which means someone finds something very funny or shocking

🤡 — Used when getting caught in a mistake or when feeling like a fraud

👻 — Indicates being “ghosted” (dumped with no explanation)

🧢 — Symbolizes a lie, which could also be called a “cap”

👉👈 — Shy, nervous (usually in the context of flirting)

⏳ — Used when someone has an “hourglass” body shape

😈 — Feeling frisky or naughty

👁️ 👄 👁️ — A reaction of shock or disbelief

🧚‍♀️✨— Can be used in comments to denote a sarcastic, mean-spirited tone

🍃 — Marijuana/weed

🤤 — Desiring someone sexually (often used in response to nudes)

🍒 — Breasts/testicles/virginity

🍝 — Represents nudes, which are often called “noods”

👀 — Used when sending or receiving nudes

💯 — A stamp of approval; “I agree”

🔨 — Used to refer to sexual activity

🌶️ — Indicates “spiciness,” i.e., inappropriate or risque content

Tip: Instead of policing your teen’s messages, encourage open dialogue about digital safety and respect. The goal is not to shame, but to keep the lines of communication open.