Durex announces condom emoji to keep your texts steamy

There’s no shortage of emoji that insinuate sex.

That’s a good thing because, as it turns out, 18-25 year old’s would much rather talk about sex in a text message and often through the use of emoji.

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What we haven’t had, until now, is an emoji that could express safe sex in a text message. I mean, saying “condom & ?” just doesn’t have a nice ring to it.

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Durex aims to change this with the announcement of their condom emoji that’s designed to get texters talking about safe sex.

According to Durex marketing director Karen Chisholm in a statement:

Emojis of this sort will enable young people to overcome embarrassment around the discussion of safe sex, encourage conversation and raise awareness of the importance of using condoms in protecting against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV and AIDS.

The statement also revealed insights into the young adult mind in a study commissioned by the Durex brand. For example:

• 80% of 18-25 year olds find it easier to express themselves using emojis and more than half of respondents regularly using emojis when discussing sex
• 84% of 18-25 year olds said they feel more comfortable talking about sex using emojis
• More than one-third of 18-25 year olds claim not to care about safe sex and nearly half think that HIV will never affect them or their friends

With today’s youth turning to text messages and emoji to have these important conversations, the new emoji should provide a relatable alternative to asking the often embarrassing questions surrounding safe sex, and all in a manner that 18 to 25 year old’s are comfortable using.

Durex plans to submit the condom emoji to the Unicode Consortium on December 1, World AIDS Day.

➤ Durex launches a condom emoji so you can Netflix and chill responsibly [VentureBeat]