Parents offered social media acronym dictionary to decipher teen texts
Baffled parents, worried as to what their teen children might be getting up to online, have a new tool at their disposal with the publication of an alphabetical listing of acronym meanings designed to help them decipher teen texts.
Launched by the department for education the guide includes definitions for popular terms such as GNOC (get naked on cam) and ASL (age, sex, location) as well as coded alerts for when parents are in the room such as P999.
Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan said: “As a parent myself, I understand how important it is to know your child is safe and that's why this new online service is so important. I hope all schools take advantage of this new resource, which addresses fundamental issues like cyber bullying and body confidence - so that they can help protect their children in this digital age.”
Intended to curb the growth in online grooming and illicit activity the handbook also includes references to cyber bullying and drugs with codes such as 420 (marihuana) and Zerg (to gang up on someone) in widespread use.