Pairing an eggplant or peach emojis with any sexual expressions is now classified as sexual solicitation by Facebook and Instagram. – Picture via Instagram/lush

KUALA LUMPUR, November 1 — Social media giants Facebook and Instagram are doing some trimming in their emoji garden in a bid to limit the use of emojis that are deemed to be sexually suggestive.

Following Apple’s release of new emojis with the iOS 13.2 update, Facebook, who owns Instagram, also revealed that would be banning sexually suggestive emojis.

The list includes the popular eggplant, peach as well as the water drips emojis.

The emojis, which are widely known to represent a penis (eggplant), bum (peach), and ejaculation (water drip), will still be allowed in captions, but can no longer be used in a manner that suggests anything sexual.

This comes after American rapper Kanye West accused the social media platforms of fuelling sex addiction and distressing married men, “making them suffer like Jesus.”

“I suffer — and I appreciate the suffering because we can just feel a little bit of what Jesus felt when we suffer, but social media makes me suffer,” West said in an interview on Beats1 on Apple Music.

“I suffer from that and by me saying this out loud, I'm sure there's other married men that suffer in a similar way that are happy to hear me say, 'Oh ya, I'm suffering,” he added.

According to New York Post, the new rules are part of the social platforms’ new Community Standards, which were officially enacted in September.

It was reported that under the new terms, pairing an eggplant or peach emoji with any sexual expressions now qualifies as “sexual solicitation.”

If it has been found that a user has used the emojis in a sexual manner, Facebook or Instagram would have the right to remove the post, and if it happens repeatedly, it can result in the user’s account being deactivated.

Nude photos where emojis cover genitalia, butts or female nipples are also now formally not allowed, as are any links or info leading to pornographic or otherwise adult material.

“We aren’t taking action on simply the emojis,” New York Post quoted an Instagram spokesperson.

“[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.”

Many social media users also took to twitter to poke fun at the new rules.

Twitter user Alan Boccadoro teasingly suggested that the ban opens up new opportunities for the banana, carrot, hotdog, taco and donut emojis to finally make their debut.