Police have issued a list of secret slang terms and acronyms used by teenagers on the internet to help parents spot the telltale signs of online grooming and abuse.
The extensive list released by Nottinghamshire Police includes popular terms and hashtags which teens regularly use to communicate online.
The force are warning mum and dads to familiarise themselves with the phrases which could also flag up issues surrounding mental health, sex, and drug usage.
They include warning flags such as CU46, meaning ‘See You For Sex’, LMIRL which stands for ‘Lets Meet In Real Life’ and NIFOC – ‘Naked in Front of a Computer’.
Hashtags which are deemed cause for concern include #ana for, anorexia #deb for depression and #sue for suicide.
Police released the list of 200 phrases ahead of Safer Internet Day earlier this month.
But children’s charity NSPCC has now emphasised the importance of parents keeping up with the latest slang and hashtags to help keep their youngsters safe
An NSPCC spokesman said: “One of the best ways for parents to keep their children safe online and spot risks is to open up conversations about their online lives.
“It is important for parents to keep up-to-date with the type of content, features and risks, as well as know the minimum age of the sites and games their children are using.
“Particularly, when we know one in four young people have been contacted over social media by an adult they don’t know, with a third of these children 13 and under.
“One of the ways we, in partnership with O2, are helping parents keep updated with their children’s online lives is through our Net Aware site which reviews the 50 most popular apps, sites and games their children are using.”
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson added: “It can sometimes seem like teenagers are speaking a different language and, while it’s tempting to try and keep them from interacting online, the reality is that it’s as much a part of their life as eating their dinner or brushing their teeth.
“Instead, you should make sure you’re aware of the risks of some of the main social networking sites and have the relevant conversations with your children.
“It might seem that grooming has become much more prevalent in recent years, but the truth is it’s simply become easier.
“Now, it’s much easier for someone to get access to multiple vulnerable young people at one time, and the only tool they need is a computer or smartphone.
“This is not supposed to terrify you or your children, but it is important that you familiarise yourself with online safety.”
FULL LIST:
Warning flags
#ana – anorexia
#deb – depression
#sue – suicide
#svv – self-harming behaviour
#thinsp – thinspiration (photos or messages that inspire an effort to become thin)
9 – a parent is watching
420 – marijuana
ASL – age, sex, location
CD9 – parents are around
Crow – cannabis
CU46 – see you for sex
Daddy – can mean a partner who takes good care of you affectionately or someone with great influence and power over you
Down in the DM – short for plans in their social media or texts for an upcoming sexual hook-up
F2F or FTF – face to face
FWB – friends with benefits
FYEO – for your eyes only
GNOC – get naked on camera
Hooking up – having sex
‘I know a way you can earn money fast’ – a possible way of asking for photos/webcam access or a way to get information to blackmail a young person
‘I know someone who can get you a modelling job’ – a possible way of asking for photos and flattering the young person
IRL – in real life
IWSN – I want sex now
Let’s go private – leave the public chatroom and create a private chat or move to instant-messaging/texting
LMIRL – let’s meet in real life
KPC – keep parents clueless
Merked – really drunk or beaten up or getting found out or getting told off
MIRL – meeting in real life
Molly – ecstasy/MDMA (unless they really do have a friend called Molly! Context is everything)
MOOS – member of the opposite sex
MOS – mum over shoulder
Moving to (someone) – approaching, either aggressively or romantically
Netflix ‘n Chill – to meet under the pretence of watching Netflix/TV together when actually planning to meet for ‘making out’ or sex
NIFOC – naked in front of computer
NSFL – not safe for life
NSFW – not safe for work
P911 or P999 – parents are watching
POS – parents over shoulder
Pre-ing – pre-drinking
RU/18 – are you over 18?
Sket – insulting term used towards girls
Smash – to have casual sex
Swipe right – term of approval derived from dating app Tinder
Thirsty – being desperate for something
Trolling – fooling someone – often used when people are commenting nasty abuse online
Wavey – drunk or high
‘Where’s your computer in your house?’ – possibly a way of checking to see if parents might be around
‘Who/What’s your favourite band/designer/film/gear?’ – possibly a way of trying to get to know more so that they can offer gifts
Wired – drug induced paranoia
WYRN – what’s your real name?
‘You are the love of my life’ – possibly a way of flattering a young person and creating an emotional bond with them
‘You seem sad. Tell me what’s bothering you’ – possibly a way of expressing sympathy and inviting them to share personal information
Zerg – to gang up on someone
Terms to keep an eye on
4eae – for ever and ever
AND – any day now
AF – as f**k
Aired – ignoring someone
Are you parring me? – are you showing me disrespect?
B – babe (can be just a friend)
Bae – short for ‘baby’ and used as a term of endearment for a significant other such as a boyfriend or girlfriend. Short for ‘before anyone else’
Basic – lacking originality
Begfriend – someone who sucks up to someone else
BFN – bye for now
BOL – be on later
Bookie – weird or disgusting
Booted – left behind or dumped
Butters – ugly person
Bye Felicia – dismissive term when you want an annoying person to go away
Curve – to reject someone romantically
Dime – someone who is extremely good looking
DM – direct message
Ghost – ghosting someone is to completely ignore someone suddenly, usually as a nasty way of breaking up with someone
GLHF – good luck, have fun
HT or H/T – heard through
HAK – hugs and kisses
IANAL – I am not a lawyer
ILY or ILU – I love you
IU2U – it’s up to you
IYKWIM – if you know what I mean
J4F – just for fun
JIC – just in case
J/K – just kidding
Kicked – left behind
Low key – a warning that what they’re saying isn’t something they want everyone to know
NAGI – not a good idea
OH – overheard
PAP – post a picture
Peng or tidy – really attractive
Preeing – looking at someone online (also know as ‘Facebook stalking’)
PTB – please text back
QQ – crying
RL – real life
Salty – to be bitter about something or someone
Ship – relationship or to admire a couple (such as ‘I ship them’)
Sip tea – to mind your own business
Skurt – go away or leave
Slept – to knock someone out
Slipping – messing up
Stacked – built, really muscly, toned
Swag – confidence or fancy clothes/jewellery
SWAK – sealed with a kiss
SWYP – so what’s your problem?
TBR – to be rude
Throw shade – to give someone a nasty look or say something unpleasant about them
TIME – tears in my eyes
TMB – tweet me back
VSF – very sad face
WTH or WTF – what the heck?
WTPA – where’s the party at?
WYCM – will you call me?
WYSIWYG – what you see is what you get
YGM – you’ve got mail
YOLO – you only live once
Fun
:3 – a symbol designed to represent a cat face, to be used after saying something cute, odd or coy
2day – today
Acc – actually
AFAIK – as far as I know
AFK – away from keyboard
ATM – at the moment
B4 – before
Baffed – confused
Banter – fun chat
Bare or bear – ‘really really’
B/C – because
BF or GF – boyfriend or girlfriend
Blates – obviously
Blessed – nice person
Boots – a way to say ‘very’ or ‘a lot’ – it’s used after the verb or adjective
BRB – be right back
Bromance – close friendship between two boys
Bruh – a casual nickname for ‘bro’
BTW – by the way
Buck me – give me
Buff – attractive
Can’t even – an expression of exasperation
CBA – can’t be bothered
Cray – crazy
Cuz – friend
Dench – fantastic/cool
Dope – really cool/awesome
DWBH – don’t worry be happy
Fail – something goes wrong
Fam – their closest friends
FB – Facebook
Feels – feelings
FF – Follow Friday
Fierce – looking amazing/incredible
FOMO – fear of missing out
FTL – for the loss
FTW – for the win
FWIW – for what it’s worth
FYI – for your information
G – a friend (boy to boy)
Gassed – happy
GOAT – greatest of all time
GR8 – great
GTG – got to go
Gucci – something is good or cool
HAND – have a nice day
Hella – really
HTH – hope this helps or happy to help
Hundo P – 100% sure/certain
IDEK – I don’t even know
IDK – I don’t know
IIRC – if I remember correctly
IK – I know
IKR – I know right?
Ill – fantastic or cool
IMHO – in my honest opinion
IMO – in my opinion
Is everything – great/important
It’s lit – it’s cool/awesome
I’m weak – that was funny
Jarring – annoying
Jokes – really funny
JSYK – just so you know
K or KK – okay
Legend – someone or something considered very cool
LMAO or LMBO – laughing my butt off
LMK – let me know
Lol – laugh out loud
MM – Music Monday
MSM – mainstream media
NM – never mind
NMU – not much, you?
NP – no problem or now playing
NTS – note to self
Obvi – obviously
OMG – oh my God
On fleek – on point or executed really well
ORLY – oh really?
OTP – the fictional couple you think were meant to be together
Peak – unfortunate
Pls or plz – please
PPL – people
RAK – random act of kindness
ROFL – rolling on the floor laughing
RT – retweet
RUOK – are you okay?
Skl – school
Safe – reliable or good person
SSDD – same stuff, different day
Savage – cool
Sick – fantastic/cool
Slay – doing really well
Squad – their friend group
SMH – shaking my head
Snatched – same as ‘on fleek’
SRSLY – seriously
Straight fire – something is hot or trendy
Swear – are you serious?
TBH – to be honest
TIA – thanks in advance
TMI – too much information
TMRW – tomorrow
To be down/pumped for something – excited to do something
Truss – I agree
TTYL – talk to you later
Turnt/turnt up – same as ‘lit’
TY or TU – thank you
Ur – your/you’re
V – very
YAS – enthusiastic version of yes
You da real MVP – thanks for doing a mundane but important task
YW – you’re welcome
Wag1 or wagwan – what’s up?
WB – welcome back
Woke – highly aware of social issues
ZOMG – oh my God
By Mark Cardwell
