Facebook and Instagram are censoring the peach, aubergine and other ‘horny’ emojis
Facebook and Instagram are set to put an end to “horny” emojis, reports suggest (Pexels)
Facebook and Instagram are now prohibiting the use of peach and aubergine emojis in sex-related posts and nude images, reports indicate.
The new rules form part of the platforms’ new Community Standards which were implemented at some stage between 7 September and now, according to adult industry website XBIZ.com.
The new standards were brought to public attention by BBC journalist Thomas Fabbri who covers issues relating to sex workers.
New terms are meant to curb ‘sexual solicitation’ on Facebook and Instagram.
The new terms aim to prevent “sexual solicitation” on Facebook and Instagram and will significantly hinder sex workers among many others on the platforms.
The guidelines mean that a person’s account can be flagged for “sexual solicitation” if they use the aubergine/eggplant or peach emoji in a post about being horny – or if they use the emojis in a photo to censor nudity.
We often make updates to our Community Standards. We publish these changes on our Community Standards site so our community is aware.
Under the new guidelines, users are warned not to either offer or ask for content that is “implicitly or indirectly” related to nude imagery, sex or sex chat.
Under the second criteria – called “suggestive elements” – the platforms insist that users don’t offer or ask for sex using “contextually specific and commonly sexual emojis or emoji strings”.
Social media users reportedly won’t be able to use peach, aubergine/eggplant or water emojis in posts or photos relating to sex going forward.
They are also banning “mentions or depictions of sexual activity” including drawings that is related to “sexual solicitation”.
They do not list what emojis are considered to have a sexual use – however, they are presumably referring to emojis such as the eggplant, the peach and drops of water, which are all typically used on social media in sexual contexts.
When asked about the updates to their terms, a Facebook spokesperson told XBIZ that “nothing [has] changed in terms of the policy itself or how we enforce it”.
They said that they have “simply updated the language to make it clearer for our community”.
“We often make updates to our Community Standards. We publish these changes on our Community Standards site so our community is aware.”
