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Do emojis make communicating easier?

06th - 13th December 2024

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12028

5-11 votes

42504

11-16+ votes

54532

Total votes

For our penultimate VoteTopic of the year, we asked young people what they would like to discuss in the classroom. Thank you to everyone who submitted an idea. The Voters' Choice winning topic was...emojis! More specifically, the role emojis play in communication online.

Primary 7-11, Secondary, 16+ & College voters were asked: “Do emojis make communicating easier?”, while Primary 5-7 voters discussed: “Do emojis help you to communicate?”

54,532 young people in the UK have taken part in this vote.

Under-16s Phones Child

Age 5-11 voter

"Emojis help you to show happiness or sadness in a message. Emojis help with scripts and to show what emotion you will use.”

Under-16s Phone Teenager

Age 11-16 voter

"It helps people who do not speak the first language of the country to communicate with others."

Under-16s Phones Student

Age 11-16 voter

"Emoji meanings change fast and it's difficult to keep up."

81% of Primary pupils said that emojis support communication.

  • 5-7-year olds discussed the quesion, "Do emojis help you to communicate?" and 86% said 'Yes'.
  • 79% of 7-11-year olds said 'Yes' to the question, "Do emojis make communicating easier?"
  • Many of these 'Yes' voters argued that emojis can add emotion to a message and add additional meaning.
81% of Secondary and College students agreed, arguing that emojis make communication easier.

  • Secondary and College students discussed the question, "Do emojis make communicating easier?"
  • 81% of Secondary students and 82% of College students said 'Yes'.
  • Some highlighted the benefits of using emojis when communicating with those who speak another language. Emojis can be universal in their meaning (aside from some nuances and popular culture references), which can support understanding.

  • The most common argument from all age groups was that emojis can add tone and meaning to a message that can be harder to express with text alone.
  • However, some 'No' voters highlighted the difficulty of communicating with emojis, particularly when they are used as a standalone.
  • The meaning of emojis can change depending on things like popular culture and inside jokes. This can make it hard to keep up with changes and cause difficulties with communication.
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