INTRODUCTION The concept of leakage has been referenced by professionals and researchers for over two decades. However, its significance has grown substantially for Threat Assessment Teams due to the expansion and widespread use of social media and the digital sphere. Subject Matter Experts agree that an overall assessment of risk cannot be determined without looking at an individual's online activity as a parallel process when initiating a threat assessment. Leakage can be a cry for help, a sign of inner conflict, and includes any warning behaviors that may indicate a serious threat. Leakage is one of the most important clues that may precede an adolescent’s violent act. These clues may include subtle threats, predictions, boasts, or any planning surrounding a violent act, where it is imperative to look at verbal, written, and digital leakage for threat assessment purposes. However, these potential cries for help might not be as clear and direct as one would hope, as they are often expressed through coded language, hashtags, abbreviations, or emojis. This Resource Guide will provide School Safety/Threat Assessment (SS/TA) Teams with a functional understanding of emojis commonly used by today’s youth and their association with specific categories of concern. To best use this resource, we encourage SS/TA Teams to attend the Digital Threat Assessment® (DTA) training or utilize our module to better understand digital data collection and best practices for supporting individuals when worrisome online behavior is identified. Safer Schools Together (SST) advises against using your personal accounts and devices when searching for worrisome or threat-related behavior, as there is a possibility these searching methods may notify the Subject(s) of Concern (SOC).
Disclaimer : The emojis shown in this guide are based on Apple's iOS platform and represent the general appearance of those commonly used. Emojis may appear differently depending on the device, operating system, and software version being used. We regularly update our examples to reflect current standards, but visual differences should be expected across platforms.
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