For those who fancy employing emojis in suggestive fashions — which, let’s be honest, is every person with an internet-connected device — using them in such ways on Facebook and Instagram could (potentially) cause you to get banned from either platform.

As reported by KPIX, Facebook and its sister platform Instagram released a rather lofty edit to their user guidelines over the summer. Though Facebook’s lexicon of permitted speech is still rather loose, the social media juggernaut now considers emojis used in styles that evoke "implicit or indirect sexual messages" in violation of the company’s "Sexual Solicitation” standards.

What must one do to have their cheeky, emoji-ridden post flagged by one of Facebook’s 15,000-plus content reviewers, exactly? Well, one way is to be a remarkably big eggplant (read: tone-deaf dick head).

“[Suggestive content] will only be removed from Facebook and Instagram if it contains a sexual emoji alongside an implicit or indirect ask for nude imagery, sex or sexual partners, or sex chat conversations,” Instagram told the New York Post last month.

Under current guidelines, in order to be banned from either one of the two Facebook-owned platforms, a user must commit such lewd acts a number of times before their account is axed. However, Facebook reserves the right to delete any comment or post they see unfit (or in violation of their current user guidelines) at any time.

“We aren’t taking action on simply the emojis," Instagram added. "Such emojis used to cover nipples, butts or any other private or suggestive areas will also lead a user to be flagged that could later get them banned from either platform." This new stipulation, though, could be worrying to some free-spirited users.

(In recent years, NSFW artists have rallied in numbers to oppose Facebook’s “unfair and unrealistic” censorship practices that, apparently, are growing even more strict.)

Those who simply want to embellish a posting of a freshly made stone fruit cobbler with like-plant emojis, don’t fret; you’re in the clear. The same could be said of foodies just smitten over an eggplant parmesan they decided to photograph and upload to IG, captioned by a slew of nightshade icons.

But for now, keep the emoji nods to private parts on your SMS texts or iMessages.

Image: Wikimedia