Text Abbreviations Every Parent Should Know

It takes years to learn a new language. A popular Czech proverb says, 'Learn a new language and get a new soul'. Teen language is as 'Greek and Latin' as it can get and dynamic too. We're not sure if you can get a new soul, but by knowing a little about the secret coded language of teenagers, you can try to understand them better.

We all know that teens have learnt the art of outsmarting parents, be it while texting on the phone or browsing online. The worrying trend is teens often give out personal information to strangers or access inappropriate content online and parents are clueless about such behaviour.

A comprehensive study done by McAfee, the security solutions major, on teen online behaviour revealed that the trend of teens deceiving parents online is rampant, as 70 per cent have found ways to avoid parental monitoring. Unfortunately more than 73 per cent of parents believed that their children would never access age-inappropriate content on the Internet.

According to the study, here are some of the ways teens deceive parents --

1. Clearing the browser history (53%)

2. Close/minimise browser when parent walked in (46%)

3. Hide or delete IMs or videos (34%)

4. Lie or omit details about online activities (23%)

5. Use a computer your parents don't check (23%)

6. Use an internet-enabled mobile device (21%)

7. Use privacy settings to make certain content viewable only by friends (20%)

8. Use private browsing modes (20%)

9. Create private email address unknown to parents (15%)

10. Create duplicate/fake social network profiles (9%)

Using coded language or abbreviations is another one of those smart ways in which adolescents easily outwit their elders, who are often overwhelmed by technology. Here we give you a lowdown on text abbreviations and you will never be ignorant again --

Bae: Before Anyone Else; babe or baby in the romantic sense

Can't even: An expression of annoyance

Fam: Short for 'family' used with very close friends

WYD: What You Doing?

WUF: Where You From?

2G2BT: Too Good To Be True

FWB: Friends with benefits

FYEO: For your eyes only

GAL: Get a life

IDK: I Don't Know

ILY/ILU: I Love You

xoxo: Hugs and Kisses

IKR: I Know, Right?

IMO: In my opinion

J4N: Just For Fun

L8: Late

MIRL: Meet in real life

IYKWIM: If you know what I mean

CWYL: Chat With You Later

CWOT: Complete Waste Of Time

OTP - One True Pairing (fictional couples you think are meant to be together)

TBH: To Be Honest

YAS: An excited version of Yes

FTW: For The Win

K/KK: Okay

Obvi: Obvious

Slay: Slaying - not in the literal sense; it means to pull off something well

V: Very

B/C: Because

DWBH: Don't Worry, Be Happy

GLHF: Good Luck! Have Fun!

ORLY: Oh Really?

SRSLY: Seriously

SSDD: Same Stuff, Different Day

SYWP: So? What's Your Problem?

TMI: Too Much Information

ZOMG: (Sarcastic) Oh My God!

TWD: Texting while driving

And here are some which will really be useful to you --

PAW: Parents Are Watching

PAL : Parents are listening

ADR : What's your address?

WTTP : Want to trade photos?

MOS: Mom over shoulder

POS: Parents over shoulderl

KMS: Kill myself

99: Parents are gone

Learn. By heart. Never use. Because this will make your teen go SMH.

If you want to know more about how you can keep an eye on your child's internet usage or control what they browse on the Internet, check out this article: