Many
US teens view their mobile phone
as an extension of themselves.
Some 75% of 12-17 year-olds now
own cell phones, up from 45% in
2004. And according to a recent
Harris Interactive poll, 45% of
teens say their cell phone is
the key to their social life.
But you may be surprised to
learn that teens are not
primarily using their cell
phones to talk. According to
the Pew Internet & American Life
Project, “Among all teens, the
frequency of use of texting has
now overtaken the frequency of
every other common form of
interaction with their
friends.” And the younger the
teen, the more likely they are
to interact with peers through
text messages. According to a
recent Nielsen study, the
typical teenager (age 13-17)
sends or receives 3,146 text
messages each month, or roughly
10 messages per hour—one every
six minutes—for every hour not
spent in school or sleeping.
Tween and teen texters often use
abbreviations and chat lingo to
communicate that many parents
don’t understand. According to
one recent survey, 95% of
parents couldn't identify common
chat room lingo that teenagers
use to warn people they're
chatting with that their parents
are watching (POS for Parent
over Shoulder and P911 for
Parent Alert). If you want to
ensure your child isn’t being
bullied by peers, engaging in
unsafe sexual behaviors, or
getting drunk or using drugs,
here are some of the key phrases
and acronyms you should be aware
of. Keep in mind that different
peer groups often develop their
own shorthand.
9 = parent is watching
99 = parent is no longer
watching
CD9 = code 9 (parents are
around)
MOS = mother over shoulder
POS = parent over shoulder
P911 = parent alert
PIR = parents in room
AITR = adult in the room
CT = can’t talk
KPC = keeping parents clueless
A/S/L/P = age, sex, location,
picture
ASL = age, sex, location
ASLA = age, sex, location,
availability
ASLMH = age, sex, location,
music, hobbies
S2R = send to receive (meaning
‘send me your picture to get
mine’)
PM = private message
WTGP = want to go private?
F2F = face to face
MIRL = meet in real life
20 = location
AH = at home
AOC = available on cell
420 = marijuana/let’s get high
RX = drugs or prescriptions
E = Ecstasy
UDI = unidentified drinking
injury
FOAD = f*ck off and die
H8 = hate
B/F or BF = boyfriend
G/F or GF = girlfriend
B8 = Bait (person teased or
joked with, or under-aged
person/teen)
1174= nude club
banana = penis
BJ = blow job
8 = oral sex
?^ = hook up (have sex)
BTYCL = booty call
D46? = down for sex?
DL = down low
DM = do me
TDTM = talk dirty to me
If you choose to
allow your child to carry a cell
phone, ask your service provider
about phones and plans for kids
that will allow you to control
who your child can call or
receive calls from, what kind of
content they can download, and
the number of text messages they
can send. Consider opting for
phones that do not have built-in
cameras or web browsers.
Sign up for a
service that will allow you to
receive copies of your child’s
text messages. But before you
do, be sure your child is aware
you will be monitoring their
cell phone use. One such
service,
www.mymobilewatchdog.com,
will monitor cell phone calls,
text messages, instant
messaging, picture messages, and
e-mail and will notify you when
your child receives any of the
above, as well as give you
access to the content. You
receive the same message as your
child.
Technology has
helped us to become more
connected, but it has also made
keeping our children safe more
challenging.
