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Posted May 8, 2026 Reviewed by Tyler Woods
When we send a text, we don’t simply convey information; we invite someone into our lives. Every emoji, every punctuation mark, and even every use of “kk” carries emotional data about our innermost thoughts and feelings. And research has shown that how we express ourselves with the typed word is largely related to our age.
A 2025 study by Minich, Kerr & Moreno found that adolescents described their use of emojis as “complex,” “ironic,” and “absurd.” Teens don’t think of emojis as mere shorthand for their feelings, but also as a way to convey tone. That crying laughing face emoji can mean many things, such as humor, mockery, or total and terrible despair – it just depends on the context.
(And if you don’t understand the emoji usage in the context of the content, you’re probably not a teenager.)
Researchers believe that the playfulness of teens and their contextual cues reflect the adolescent world of experimentation, intense emotions, and confusing directions and misdirections.
It is important to remember that adolescence is a time of experimenting with your identity and struggling to answer the question “Who am I?” Many teens also hide their fears behind sarcasm and irony. What does this mean for a concerned parent? Don’t be quick to overlook the deeper meaning behind their motions, especially during this difficult time. Ask questions if you don’t understand a text message you receive.
Pro tip: In the complicated world of teenage talk, punctuation marks at the end of a sentence signal anger or frustration. Be prepared for your teen to ask if you’re angry at them when you use proper punctuation.
A 2025 study by Emmanuel and Isiaq found that young adults aged 25 to 34 use more emojis, abbreviations, and expressive punctuation (think multiple exclamation marks) than any other age group. These digital cues are often used to soften tone or to indicate warmth or closeness with another person. Texting is how young adults maintain their interpersonal connections in their overwhelming, fast-paced world.
Remember that this stage of life is filled with a desire to achieve career and relationship goals. Sometimes a single heart can mean a world of warm words and feelings. Think of the texting style of this age as a mirror of their priorities in a very busy world: they aim for connection, speed, and easy emotional accessibility.
Pro tip: Remember that texts at this age aren’t used to simply give and receive information, but rather attempts at connection that may come along with hidden vulnerabilities.
This same 2025 study by Emmanuel and Isiaq also found that adults aged 35 to 54 are more focused on simply saying it like it is. These individuals use fewer emojis (often close to none) and less emotional shorthand. What do we mean by emotional shorthand? Younger individuals are more likely to use ellipses (…) to indicate hesitation, passive aggressiveness, or an indication of emotional distance. Also, younger adults will often use exclamation marks to indicate emotional intensity.
Those in middle age view texting as less social and more functional and tend to focus on specific topics, especially with individuals they see regularly.
Researchers believe that the tendency for messages to be more clean-cut and professional is a subconscious indication of the stability of their secure social standing, both personally and professionally. Emojis are used infrequently, with sarcasm and tone instead conveyed through punctuation or phrasing. For example, “Wow…that was great.” or “Oh, that’s fantastic!”
Similar to the texting language of adolescents, the language of middle age relies on a familiarity with the culture in order to understand the texts of middle age.
A 2025 study by Pang et al analyzed social posts on websites such as Facebook and found a U-shaped curve in emotional expression. Simply put, positivity dips in midlife and rises again in older adulthood. (This is similar to the relationship between age and happiness, which tends to hit a low point for many individuals at the age of 47.)
Older adults rarely use emojis, but when they do, these emojis come from a place of sincerity. The smiley face emoji of an older adult conveys their feelings of being happy and connected with their loved ones. This contrasts with adolescents who tend to use smiley faces for sarcasm rather than warm connection.
Texting and age are simply another dialect of language, similar to those found in different locations: to understand the significance behind diction, you have to educate yourself about the background meaning, the same way you would educate yourself about any other verbiage and word choice. How do we conquer this new language barrier? Pay attention to context clues and don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions if something pops that you don’t fully understand.
References
Camerini, A.‑L., Marciano, L., Annoni, A. M., Ort, A., & Petrocchi, S. (2022). Exploring the emotional experience during instant messaging among young adults: An experimental study incorporating physiological correlates of arousal. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 840845. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.840845
Minich, M., Kerr, B., & Moreno, M. (2025). Adolescent emoji use in text‑based messaging: Focus group study. JMIR Formative Research, 9, e59640. https://doi.org/10.2196/59640
Pang, Y., Huang, C., Zhang, L., He, T., Wu, X., Han, Z., & Zhao, W. (2023). The role of emotion regulation in predicting emotional engagement mediated by meta‑emotion in online learning environments: A two‑stage SEM‑ANN approach. Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2023.2254524
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Lindsay Weisner, Psy.D., is a psychologist in private practice in Long Island, the author of Ten Steps To Finding Happy, and the host of the Neurotic Nourishment Podcast.
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The best way to begin something new—in love, work, and life.
Self Tests are all about you. Are you outgoing or introverted? Are you a narcissist? Does perfectionism hold you back? Find out the answers to these questions and more with Psychology Today.