Parents can always do a Google search if they stumble upon an phrase they aren’t familiar with, but the other option is asking their children, since these phrases can have different meanings for different people. “It’s a lot to keep track of,” Greer said. Still, if parents come across any acronyms they believe could be problematic, they should talk with their kids about them, said Greer.īut how, on earth, is a parent to keep up with all these acronyms, especially since new ones are being introduced every day? “I’ve seen some before and it’s like ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ where only the kids hold the true meanings (and most of the time they’re fairly innocuous),” she said. “Acronyms used for this purpose could potentially raise some red flags for parents.”īut parents would drive themselves crazy, she said, if they tried to decode every text, email and post they see their teen sending or receiving. “With that, acronyms can be used by kids to hide certain parts of their conversations from attentive parents,” Greer said. She says research shows that a majority of teens believe that their parents are starting to keep tabs on their online and social media lives. Katie Greer is a national Internet safety expert who has provided Internet and technology safety training to schools, law enforcement agencies and community organizations throughout the country for more than seven years. So “LMK” - let me know - and “WYCM” - will you call me? - are innocent enough.īut the issue, especially for parents, is understanding the slang that could signal some dangerous teen behavior, such as “GNOC,'” which means “get naked on camera.”Īnd it certainly helps for a parent to know that “PIR” means parent in room, which could mean the teen wants to have a conversation about things his or her mom and dad might not approve of. If it makes you feel any better, many parents didn’t know what it meant.Īcronyms are widely popular across the Internet, especially on social media and texting apps, because, in some cases, they offer a shorthand for communication that is meant to be instant. It’s a declarative statement: I want sex now. If you think you are tech savvy all because you know what “LOL” means, you might want to test your coolness.Īny idea what “IWSN” stands for in Internet slang? – Editor’s note: Written by Kelly Wallace, CNN’s digital correspondent and editor-at-large covering family, career and life.
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