OMG - what did my daughter just say?

Teen trends are fast and acronyms constantly change. Photo / Getty Images

Here's a test for parents of teens:

Do you know what POS means?

Or MOS?

How about CD9? Or KPC?

Because if you don't - and chances are you don't based on parents Bay of Plenty Times Weekend spoke to this week - you might be wise to learn.

They are, in fact, all acronyms used by teens to keep online chats covert.

POS is "parents over shoulder", so can you guess MOS?

Yes, that's right - it's "mother over shoulder", while CD9 is short for "code nine", which implies parents are in the vicinity.

KPC is "keep parents clueless", which is funny but not.

Not, if your kids are up to no good on their phones, laptops or other devices.

Tauranga parents Nazreen and Sanjeev Kumar say they understand most of the abbreviations their 14-year-old daughter, Simran, uses online and in texts, but they have never heard of POS.

After being told what it stands for, Sanjeev, 43, guesses the meaning of MOS.

Nazreen, 37, says the acronyms are interesting, but by the time we work down the list to KPC (Keep Parents Clueless), she is looking a little wary.

"That's dangerous," she says.

Nazreen says she trusts Simran, who uses Facebook and other social networking sites, but monitors her online chats and friends.

Simran and her friend, Manaiyah Shortcliffe, 12, who was going to the movies with the Kumar family in the CBD, say they do not use POS and its variations, preferring other acronyms including GTG (got to go) and BRB (be right back).

Richard Roodt, a father of twin 18-year-old boys, also guesses what MOS stands for when he hears the meaning of POS.

Richard says he and his wife asked their boys to stop using acronyms in texts about a year ago.

"It was getting to the stage where we wouldn't understand them anymore," Richard says.

His son, Stuart, says now when he texts his mum and dad "it's pretty straightforward - no abbreviations, no emoticons".

He admits this is different from the messages he sends to his friends. "Usually I would include an emoticon if it helped express the emotion behind what I was saying."

Stuart, who is in his last year at Tauranga Boys' College, commonly uses the acronyms LOL (laugh out loud) and NM (nothing much) but says even he is cautious about using too much text speak.

"It's a big pain when you're trying to do an essay in an exam setting. You're going to lose a massive amount of marks because of it."

He says becoming reliant on emoticons rather than finding the words to express yourself can also be a trap for people his age.

Mother of three Sue Arrowsmith says her kids are not big on text lingo but if they do use it, she doesn't usually struggle to understand their messages.

"You pick it up yourself pretty quickly. They educate you and keep you up with the game."

Like Richard Roodt, 47-year-old Sue, whose kids are 14, 16 and 18, is unfamiliar with other teen speak listed on new website Digi-Parenting.co.nz.

The site (set up by Vodafone, the Parenting Place and Netsafe) provides tips on online safety, and translates a selected list of acronyms and hash tags for parents [see list at right].

"The key to protecting your child online is to equip yourself with a basic understanding of the things they do and say on the internet," the site says.

A post by one mother says she attempts to engage her daughter by asking what her different hash tags mean. "Then as a bit of a joke between us I will slip those into the occasional text like #Ibettergoforarun [attached to a picture of an ice cream]," writes the woman. "I am careful I don't overuse it but I think it makes her feel I get her more."

Digi-Parenting.co.nz warns, however, that teen trends are fast and acronyms constantly change.

It suggests parents go to netlingo.com "if an acronym has you foxed".

A to Z net lingo and text speak

Here are a few acronyms and terms to help parents understand what their kids say online:

ADR: Short for 'address'. Be careful and check your child isn't sharing personal details online.

ASL: Stands for 'age, sex, location'. This could mean your child is using an anonymous chat room.

DM: Direct Message. Often used as a request - "DM me!" - to take a conversation out of a 'public' domain (like Facebok wall) and into 'private' (a private message).

FML: F- my life - a term of frustration.

FOH, GTFO: These stand for "F- Outta Here" and "Get The F- Out." They both are terms used to dismiss whatever is being referenced.

FOMO: Fear of missing out - often posted in response to what other people are up to, as a self-deprecating joke at one's own jealousies and insecurities.

FTW: Started as a gaming acronym, For The Win means cool or good.

I'm Out or #ImOut: Just like in a game of cards, when an opponent has such a great hand that you throw down your cards and say "I'm out", this is basically a way of relaying the fact that a user thinks something someone has posted is so insane, ridiculous, awesome or offensive that the other player wins.

IMO/IMHO: In my opinion / In my humble opinion.

IRL: Stands for 'in real life' - worrying if your child is using it in the context of meeting someone they have met online, i.e. MIRL ('meet in real life') or LMIRL ('let's meet in real life').

NVM: Text speak for never mind.

OH or RLRT: These stand for "overheard" or "Real-Life Retweet" and are used to reference something that a user has overheard in their real life. They are generally used in reference to shocking, odd or funny snippets of overheard conversations.

POS or MOS: Means 'Parents over shoulder' or 'Mum over shoulder'. Similarly, CD9 means 'code nine', which implies parents are around; or KPC, which stands for 'keep parents clueless'.

PRON: A deliberate misspelling of 'porn', to try and get round a web search being detected by automatic filtering system.

RT: Short for "retweet", which means you didn't write the tweet yourself, you are sharing someone else's tweet. RT is placed at the start of the text you intend to share.

SMH: Shake my head, meaning something is shocking, or you're looking at something with shame or disbelief.

TMI: Too much information - also known as over-sharing. Some things are better left unsaid!

TBH: To be honest, a common text and email acronym, but can also be used before an "honest" viewpoint on images or comments on blogs/forums.

#: The hashtag symbol works on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as a way of grouping and identifying posts with the same subject or theme. Try looking up a few of the following hashtags and you'll start to get an idea.

#FF: Follow Friday is a Twitter hashtag with the aim of drumming up more followers for someone on Twitter. For example, if you want to support a musician, politician, or anyone else you think is interesting, simply tweet a message listing their username (as in @username) along with the #FF hashtag. This is usually done in list form, so others who trust that person's judgment can easily start following a bunch of interesting new accounts.

#ICant, #ICantEven #Cryin #ImCrying and #Dead: These hashtags, and similar variations of them, are all a little bit misleading, but once you get one you can pretty much understand them all. Basically, when someone posts #ImDead, #Crying, #ICant or another similar hashtag, it means that something is hilarious, or very shocking.

#TBT: Throwback Thursday is a Twitter, Instagram and Facebook hashtag, which has become a fun opportunity for people to share photos and info that is a "throwback" to an earlier time. For instance, on Instagram, posting a really old picture of yourself, or on Twitter telling a short quip about something in your past. This is a fun way for people to learn a little bit more about each other, and to reminisce about the past.

#YOLO: This is an abbreviation for "You Only Live Once." It can be interpreted in a number of ways, but most often indicates an activity that shows someone is living on the edge. But things change fast online, and these days it tends to be used more sarcastically.
Source: digi-parenting.co.nz

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