Dangers of Internet Slang for Kids
Why Chat Room Lingo?
Kids these days are learning far more at an earlier age than their parents did. Although most kids are introduced to computers in grade school, it is more typical that these kids have already been navigating the World-Wide Web for a long time before that in their own homes. This is progress and can be a positive thing, but parents need to be on top of what their kids are doing online at all times.
You might be like some parents who view the computer as a foreign object. Though it is a useful and mostly harmless object, it can hurt your kids if you don’t monitor what they are doing on it. Part of learning about the Internet is just getting online, looking around and using common sense. Take a class to become more familiar with the computer and cyberspace if that’s what it takes.
Online, kids have their own language when they talk with friends in chat rooms and on the boards (that’s message boards). Unlike the language they use with their friends every day, the online chat room lingo needs a translation. Call it Internet slang, text slang, or chat slang, all of those three, four, and five letter abbreviations have meanings and some will be defined here.
Why do you need to learn about Internet slang?
As you probably are already aware, everyone on the Internet is not who they say they are. A certain amount of mystery can be liberating when chatting online, but as discussed in one of my previous blog posts, “5 Guidelines for Safe Computer Use at Home” it is also a way for predators to get in contact with your child. Predators learn the lingo to make it easier for them to pretend they are a 14-year old boy or girl and attract your son or daughter, even if in reality that person is a 50-year old man.
As a parent, you can also learn to decipher what your child is saying to their new friends online. Some of the lingo borders on sexually explicit. If your kids have never been exposed to that kind of Internet slang, or the person on the other end shows an interest in them, that lingo can be used to lure them away from your home and you. You can also find reliable software out there to monitor your child’s activity online for you.
Internet Slang, Unmasked
Here are some of the more common abbreviations that kids use:
- POS – Parent Over Shoulder
- P911 – My Parents are in the room
- GAL – Get A Life
- CYAL8R – See Ya Later
- LOL – Laughing Out Loud
- ROFL – Rolling On the Floor Laughing
- JTLYK – Just To Let You Know
- ILY – I Love You
- SWAK – Sealed With A Kiss
- H&K – Hugs and Kisses
- F2F – Face To Face
- A/S/L or ASL – Age/Sex/Location?
- ADN – Any Day Now
- B/F or BF – Boyfriend
- G/F or GF – Girlfriend
- WTGP? – Want to go private (meet in a private chat room)
There are a host of other abbreviations and some are quite explicit. You can find a more complete list here: http://www.web-friend.com/help/lingo/chatslang.html. The previous list is just to get you started. Predators sometimes ask for personal meetings and for personal information about your child, so it is important to know what ASL means. Disgustingly enough, they may even consider your child their love interest.
Kids generally think they are immortal and that they wouldn’t be fooled by some one online, and using Internet slang is their own secret code to keep parents away, but don’t let it. They could be getting into more trouble than you or they realize and you can help to prevent it by knowing what they are doing online.
Come back in a few days and read about Webcams and Online Safety.
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Sleep Well!
raelynn @ Kidz Comfort
5 Guidelines for Safe Computer Use at Home
Some of you may remember that there was once a time when computers took up an entire room. Now, almost every household has at least one. Between our old clunkers and newer replacements, we have five computers! Even if you have only one computer (desktop or laptop) in your home and the kids have access to it, it will be worth your while to implement a few guidelines to keep them safe while on the Internet.
Everyone in your household values their privacy. As your kids get older, their desire for privacy grows and grows. If you have teenagers this is most likely a big issue for you now. When it comes to online communication, their safety should come first, whether they understand it or not. You lock your home’s door to protect your family, but unfortunately these predators have found another way to get in – through your computer.
How can you be sure to protect your kids when they are online just as you do when you are inside your home? Here are 5 important ways to make computer time for your children safe and give you some much needed peace of mind too.
1. Communicate with your children. This is one of the most important lines of defense against child predators. Open and clear communication creates an atmosphere of trust in the home. Just explain that the Internet can be dangerous and that certain safeguards are set up for their protection. This also means that you shouldn’t overreact if they slip up. Kids are naturally curious and a slip-up or two is to be expected and dealt with calmly and in an understanding way.
2. Keep computers in a common area. When a child is using the computer behind closed doors it is much harder to keep track of what they are seeing and doing. In an area where there is traffic, such as the family room or den, you can walk by or be in the same room while they are online. If you do allow a computer in their bedroom for school work, the door must always remain open while they are using it. This will usually keep most curious kids from viewing explicit pages since they know their parents might walk by and spot them.
3. Set up parental controls on computers. Kids of all ages know how to use the Internet now. My kids could navigate the internet and get to their learning sites by the time they were going into Kindergarten! Parental controls can stop them from (unknowingly or not) accessing pages that have potential adult content on them. You can also install highly rated software such as CyberPatrol Parental Controls 7.7
4. Teach kids not to send personal information to others. Some membership sites, such as social networking sites (among many other sites) ask kids to enter personal information to sign up for contests or just to use the website. When your child gives out any information about themselves, it can lead a predator right to your front door. There are many sites out there that are just a setup to gain access to your child. Your kids should ask you before filling out any questionnaires or forms online that require any personal information.
5. Filter email accounts. Email is a very common way for pornographic or other non-kid friendly messages to be sent. Allow your kids (with your help) to add their friends’ email addresses to their address book, but block all others. This will keep them from receiving and opening emails from people they don’t know and possibly seeing things that they shouldn’t. Safe Eyes Parental Control Suite
Online safety begins at home. What your kids learn from you will help to keep them and your whole family safe from online predators. Then, when they are away from home, you wont have to be concerned.
Here are some great resources from Amazon.com:
Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens: Helping Young People Learn To Use the Internet Safely and Responsibly
How to Protect Your Children on the Internet: A Road Map for Parents and Teachers
Come back in a couple days for more about Online Safety and Internet Safety for Kids. Sign up for our RSS feed, or join our email list to receive notices of new topics in our blog.
Sleep well!
raelynn @ KidzComfort.com
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