STAMMA, the British Stammering Association has slammed Apple for the woozy face emoji. The emoji comes up when people type “stammering” in messages. This emoji has a crumpled mouth and a cockeyed expression and is also there on WhatsApp.
The WhatsApp woozy face emoji is a bit different and has a tongue hanging out too. A statement released by STAMMA calls the emoji “demeaning and damaging.” The organization also says that it isn’t happening in all the iPhones.
Members have reported the issue on the iPhone 5s, 7, SE, 11, XR, 12 Pro Max, and iPads. I typed “stammering” into my iPhone 12 Mini, and the emoji showed up there too.
STAMMA Reaches Out To Apple
Stamma has reached out to Apple about the issue, urging Apple to “investigate their algorithms and stop this highly offensive feature from occurring on any of their devices.”
Jane Powell, STAMMA CEO also commented on the issue, saying that “It can leave people embarrassed about how they sound, bullied and ashamed which can affect their mental health, careers and relationships.”
According to emojipedia, the Woozy Face emoji is used to convey intoxication or infatuation. Both scenarios are miles away from stammering, so it is possible that an algorithmic error has led to the emoji popping up when people mention stammering on Message.
