NEW YORK - City health officals come up with a new way to teach sex education as disturbing new figures show a rise in sexually transmitted infections.
These new ads featuring emojis will start showing up at bus stops and on subways.
They will also run on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
New data shows rising rates of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia across the five boroughs.
Experts say the majority of syphilis and gonorrhea cases are among men - particularly men who have sex with other men.
Women still have the highest rates of chlamydia here.
A top city health official explain why they decided to incorporate emojis in their new ad campaign.
"People are pretty tied to their cell phones. People like to message each other. People use phone apps to find sex. And so what we came up with in response was a campaign based on emojis that are commonly used," said Assistant City Health Commissioner Dr. Susan Blank. "Emojis speak to people in a variety of languages, it doesn't require translation."
Doctors recommend using condoms to prevent infection and regular testing.