How to know what your child is really texting

How to know what your child is really texting

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Acronyms are becoming rapidly more popular across the digital world and, while they may initially seem harmless, can present a very real danger in the lives of today's youth.

It doesn't take a very tech savy individual to be able to know what "SMH" and "IDK" stand for but there are some acronyms and slang words that parents may not recognize that can be harmful to both their children and those with whom they communicate.

This has become so prevalent in our society that large news organizations like CNN are reporting the danger of this new language, advising parents to be aware of what their children are really saying online and through text messaging.

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Children are huge contributors to this growth. These children don't want to get caught by their parents if their text messages or emails are discussing serious subjects such as sexting and drug/alcohol abuse and so they resort to using slang words or acronyms their parents will not understand or identify.

This epidemic of Internet slang is not only affecting what goes on at home, but also in the classroom. Teachers report students using such slang in writing as well as in conversation. For example, one Nevada teacher recently found that a male student referred to a fellow female student as a "THOT" (pronounced as "thought"). Sounds harmless and completely irrelevant. However, the teacher found that the slang word "THOT" stands for "that hoe over there."

Parents need to be aware that Internet slang or acronyms used for sexting can easily lead to cyber bullying. In 2011, The New York Times published an article about an eighth grade girl in Washington who had her nude picture sent to the entire school after a break up. This not only led to her humiliation, it also led to charging "three students with dissemination of child pornography, a Class C felony, because they had set off the viral outbreak."

This is one of the reasons why Utah Online School encourages parents to educate themselves about these slang terms in an effort to play a greater role in the lives of their children.

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In addition to CNN's suggestions, Netlingo.com may be a helpful resource. You probably won't be able to memorize every acronym on the list but this site will help next time you see that your child has used an acronym you don't recognize. For slang terms, parents can use Urbandictionary.com to search for specific terms they may not be familiar with.

The more informed you are as a parent the more effective you can be at monitoring what your child is saying and knowing/protecting your child from what someone is saying to them.

Utah Online School allows parents to be more involved in their child's education and thus, play a more integral part in their daily lives.

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