The new Netflix series Adolescence is unsettling, and rightly so. It lifts the lid on the complex, often hidden world of teenagers navigating life online. For many viewers, it’s a wake-up call. For us, it’s a reality we’ve been working to address for years.
Because behind the scenes, our team is tackling one of the most urgent and under-recognised issues in online safety today: coded language- the evolving, often encrypted ways young people communicate about risky or harmful behaviour.
The Real Problem with Coded Language
Coded language isn’t new. What is new is the speed and scale at which it’s being used and the difficulty in detecting it. Words, emojis, inside jokes, song lyrics; they’re being repurposed into signals that allow vulnerable or harmful conversations to slip under the radar of moderation systems and concerned adults.
Even the most advanced AI can miss it. These codes change constantly. They’re rooted in context, culture, and subculture. And without a deep, real-time understanding of how young people speak, it’s easy to mistake something serious for something trivial, or miss it altogether.
What We’re Doing About It
At TalkCampus, we’ve made it our mission to do more than just keep up- we’re working to get ahead.
Our moderation teams, data scientists, and community experts collaborate to:
Track and decode emerging slang and symbolic language tied to themes like self-harm, suicide, exploitation, and drug use.
Continuously train our AI systems using real-world insights, helping us identify dangerous trends before they become widespread.
Blend human and machine moderation, allowing nuance, empathy, and cultural context to inform how we respond to risk.
Work directly with young people, who often flag new trends or codes long before they appear on wider radars.
This isn’t just safety by policy, it’s safety by understanding. It’s slow, difficult, ever-evolving work, but it saves lives.
Why This Moment Matters
With the UK’s Online Safety Act coming into force, the conversation around digital harm has never been more relevant. But legislation alone can’t solve this. Real safety comes from systems that understand how harm actually shows up, especially when it’s hidden in plain sight.
We’re proud to be doing that work. Shows like Adolescence highlight the risks but we’re focused on the solutions. That means listening, learning, and leading the way in smarter, more responsive safety tech that meets young people where they are, even when they’re not speaking plainly.
Let’s not wait until the next crisis. Digital communities have real power when they are not just reactive, but truly protective.
Rethinking Student Mental Health Support: More Impact, Less Waste
Student mental health needs are evolving, but traditional support models haven’t kept up. Universities are spending millions on services that go underutilised, while students are left navigating complex systems that don’t always meet them where they are. At TalkCampus, we’ve built something better.
Now, for the first time, institutions can provide fully integrated, end-to-end mental health support, from peer connection to clinical intervention, all in a way that’s more accessible for students and more cost-effective for you.
Peer + Trained Peer Support Community
On-Demand Therapy, pay per session, 60 languages
Engaging Self directed learning
Access to 24/7 Clinical Helpline
By offering a complete, flexible ecosystem of support, TalkCampus ensures every student gets the right help, at the right time without unnecessary costs or barriers.
This is mental health done smarter. More choice. More impact. Less waste.