Eye Emoji on iOS 9.1 Part of an Anti-Bullying Campaign For Kids

Several Apple users may have noticed an eye emoji since the launch of iOS 9.1, without knowing what it means or is for. The eye is actually part of an anti-bullying campaign.

Tech Crunch reported that the eye emoji, as explained by the Ad Council and other tech companies, represents an anti-bullying campaign that started together with National Bullying Prevention Month. The Ad Council stated that 90 percent of young individuals, ages 12 to 17 years old have witnessed bullying on social media, but chose to ignore the incident. More than 33 percent stated that they ignore such bullying acts most of the time.

Wired revealed that the campaign, called “I Am a Witness,” is supposed to encourage children who see bullying incidents to take a stand. San Francisco-based advertising agency, Goodby, came up with the design for the original icon. The eye emoji can be used by young people to fight bullies and show support to victims. Goodby contacted Apple to use the symbol too, which responded positively. Apple, however, said that it will take about one to two years to have the symbol approved. The company instead created the zero-width joiner technique, which merged current eye and speech bubble icons through a special character. Apple utilizes the same approach to make various family icons.

The emoji in the Android store in the “I Am a Witness” keyboard. The emoji is intended to strengthen children and teenagers to intervene and help whenever they witness online bullying. The Ad Council, together with Apple, Facebook, Google, Adobe, YouTube, Twitter and Johnson & Johnson, will inspire teenagers to help those who are being bullied. Users who already downloaded and installed iOS 9.1 will see the emoji in the Symbols keyboard beside the text bubbles and analog clocks.

Users may also find the eye logo in Snapchat filters or the Discover tab of iHeartMedia. Various online sites and platforms have also created their own unique models, such as Kick providing stickers for the campaign, and Pandora posting advertisements for the campaign geared towards young adults. Some YouTube stars will come up with videos to boost the campaign, based on the same Tech Crunch report.

“All teens are impacted by bullying and they often feel helpless when they witness it. Emojis have become a second language for teens, and they provide a relevant and easy way to get involved,” said Lisa Sherman in a news release. Sherman is president and CEO of the Ad Council.

Apple Insider stated that those who do not have an iOS 9.1 device may download a separate “I Am a Witness” keyboard, which is available for both Android and iOS.