A Parents Guide to Internet Acronyms & Teenage Slang

Growing up is fun for the most part, but growing old is a whole different experience. No, it’s not just the crackling knees and the bulging midriff but the realization that you can hardly figure out what your teenagers are saying. It may sound like a ton of fun for them but for you, desperately trying to keep up could be a nightmare. To help you along, we have created an all-inclusive guide to internet jargon and teenage slang.

General teenage slang

Everyday slang consists of a fun combination of internet abbreviations, acronyms and euphemisms. Teenagers use it generously to communicate in an interesting and fun way among themselves. It is also a way for them to fit in with peers and sound cool.

A noteworthy fact is that the language gradually becomes second nature to them. As a result, they may not even notice that their conversations are different. Some of the terms they use include:

• Awks – awkward
• Cancel – rejection
• Lit – amazing
• Rides – shoes
• FBF – flashback Friday (used when sharing old photos online)
• FFS – for f**k sake
• #FITSPO – a popular Instagram hashtag used when posting fitness content
• FOMO – fear of missing out
• FML – f**k my life
• #INSPO – a popular Instagram and Twitter hashtag used when posting inspirational content
• IK – I know
• IONO – I don’t know
• JK– just kidding
• LOL – laugh out loud
• LMAO – laughing my ass off
• #MCM – man crush Monday
• MYOB – mind your own business
• NP – no problem
• OH – overheard
• OMG – oh my God
• ROFL – rolling on the floor laughing
• On Sleek – perfect or on point
• TL;DR – too long; didn’t read
• TMI – too much information
• #WCW – women crush Wednesday
• WTV – whatever
• YAASS – yes
• YOLO – you only live once
• 143 – I love you
• TBH – to be honest
• ORLY – oh, really?
• Sass – attitude
• SMH – shaking my head
• SWAG – cool, confident or stylish
• #TBT – throwback Thursday (a popular hashtag used when sharing old photos)
• ILY – I love you
• BTW – by the way
• CD9 or 9 – code 9, which means ‘parents are here’
• PAW – parents are watching
• MOS – mother over shoulder
• KPC – keep parents clueless
• POS – parent over shoulder
• I’m weak – that was funny
• Hundo P – 100% certain or sure
• Gucci – cool or good
• Savage – cool
• Woke – highly aware of social issues
• Ghost – to ignore someone deliberately
• Sip tea – mind your own business
• Straight fire – something hot or trendy
• Low-key – something that not everyone should know
• Salty – bitter about something or someone
• Skurt – leave or go away
• Throw shade – give someone a nasty look; say something nasty about someone
• THICC – looking great in your skin no matter the shape or size
• Boujee – acting rich or actually rich
• Finna – “intending to” do something
• OG – original or original gangster
• Extra – over the top behavior
• Heard – understanding deeply a topic that is being discussed
• Left me on read – when someone opens your snap on snapchat but does not snap back
• OC – open crib, which means that parents will not be home during a party

Teenage sexting slang

An amalgam of “sex” and “texting,” sexting refers to the act of sending and receiving sexually explicit content in text form. It may consist of images or messages. The word came into existence in the early 2000s around the same time as camera phones hit the market.

Teenagers  use sexting lingo all the time on their smartphones. Here are some of the ones you might want to know:

• Netflix ‘n’ Chill – a euphemism used as an invitation to make out or have casual sex
• A smash – another subtle term referring to casual sex
• CU46 – see you for sex
• GNOC – get naked on camera
• LMIRL – let’s meet in real life
• FWB – friends with benefits
• NIFOC – naked in front of the computer
• Snack – a descriptive word for an attractive person, male or female
• Swole – extremely fit
• GNRN – get naked right now
• SorG – straight or gay?
• RU18 – are you 18?
• WYCM – will you call me?
• YWS – you want sex
• PIR – parent in room
• JO – jerk off
• S2R – send to receive
• TDTM – talk dirty to me
• Q2C – quick to come
• IWS – I want sex
• FMH – fuck me harder
• GYPO – get your pants off
• KOTL – kiss on the lips
• PR0N – porn
• 99 – parents are gone
• WTTP – want to trade pictures?
• RUMORF – are you male or female?
• MPFB – my personal fuck buddy
• MOSS – member of the same sex
• RUH – are you horny?
• 1174 – a nude club
• ASL – age, sex, location
• Breadcrumbing – sending flirtatious but non-committal messages to lure a sexual partner

Teenage drug slang

Teenage slang terms also exist for all types of drugs, including prescription drugs and illicit substances. Using these terms makes it easy to talk about drugs discreetly. In many cases, words that sound ordinary can take on totally different meanings.

These words vary from one location to another and some may be humorous. Take a look at some common teenage slang terms for drugs and related activities:

• Molly – this is code for the party drugs ecstasy or MDMA
• 420 – marijuana
• Shrooms – magic mushrooms
• Turnt up – getting high (or drunk) to the highest degree
• Riding the wave, on the nod – under the influence of drugs
• Break green – sharing marijuana
• Juuling – vaping
• Shoot, spike, boot, slam – to inject drugs using a syringe
• Bipping – snorting drugs
• A tweaker – someone on a mission to find cocaine
• Participating in a clam bake, chiefing or blasting – smoking marijuana
• Indian hemp, African bush, Mexican brown, Colombian, Homegrown Hay, Tex-Mex – marijuana
• Disco biscuits, beans, Kleenex, Thizz, Vitamin X – ecstasy or MDMA
• DOC – drug of choice
• Blue boogers – snorting Adderall or Ritalin
• Pox – opium
• Robo-tripping – using cough syrup to get high
• CID – acid

Descriptions of people and relationships

For as long as people have existed and had relationships, there have been descriptive slang terms. But in the era of social media, the terms change so fast that keeping up is an uphill climb.

Here is a list containing some of the trendiest teenage terms right now for the category:

• Squad – a person’s inner circle or close group of friends
• Bruh – a cool alternative to ‘bro’
• Fam – closest friends
• GOAT – greatest of all time
• Bae – before anyone else (popularly used to refer to a boyfriend or girlfriend)
• BFFL – best friend for life
• BFFs – best friends forever
• Ship – short for relationship
• Curve – to reject someone romantically
• Avocado – someone who is considered as straight by the people around them but is actually gay
• Gatsbying – posting something intentionally to draw the attention of a romantic interest
• Situationship – an undefined sexual relationship that’s more serious than hooking up but not an actual committed relationship
• Stealthing – secretly removing condom during sex

Red flags in teenage internet slang

While a majority of slang words are harmless and fun, others could be warning signs. Identifying these can make a world of difference. Here are some of the words to watch out for:

Criminal behavior

• Dance on the blacktop – get stabbed
• Hold your mud – resist snitching even under threat of violence
• In the car – in a deal
• Three knee-deep – to stab someone as a warning, injuring but not killing them
• All-day – a life sentence
• Bum beef – a false charge or wrongful conviction

Abusive behaviour

• Chester or Kiddie diddler – child molester
• Very special – a TV show dealing with incest, rape, or molestation
• Mongle – morbid form of molestation
• Frawley – when a high school senior molests a freshman

Self-harm

• KMS – kill myself (The term might not always be used literally. In some cases, it could be an expression used to express extreme embarrassment. Consider the context to determine whether it is a red flag term.)
• Doing the Dutch or Dutch Act – committing suicide

Hard drugs

• Bernie’s flakes, blow, icing, line, crack, white mosquito, sleigh ride, Blanca – cocaine
• Black eagle, black pearl, dirt, diesel, orange line, red chicken, brown sugar – heroin
• Black beauty, cinnamon, blade, blue devils, chicken feed, poor man’s coke – methamphetamine

Racism

• Wigga or Wigger – derogatory term for a white person who emulates perceived habits of African-Americans
• YT folx or wypipo – white folks
• Thug – derogatory term for blacks
• Gypsy – a racial slur referring to the Roma people

Sexism

• Bitch – malicious, aggressive female
• Cunt – disparaging term for a woman
• Shemale – females with male genitalia

Homophobia

• Fag or fruit – gay male
• Dyke – lesbian

Respect your children’s privacy

One of the most challenging things for parents is accepting that you cannot control everything a child does online. Oftentimes, it may feel like you are losing control of the situation. In efforts to regain this control, many parents justify the decision to monitor kids’ phones.

Fundamentally, a child’s brain is still under development, even during teen years and early adulthood. Thus, thinking critically before making decisions might not be their forte. And it may lead to devastating results.

But in all you do to protect them, there is a constant need to respect their privacy. There are no hard and fast rules on this. However, constant communication and being aware of the goings on in their life is crucial to keeping them safe.

Know what communication platform your child uses

Apart from the usual FB messenger, parents should also be aware of Snapchat, Instagram Twitter, dating apps, etc. that their children often use.

Facebook messenger and Twitter are among the most popular social media sites. These are the ones you most probably use as an adult. Teenagers, however, often use Snapchat and Instagram more often.

What makes Snapchat unique is that after a certain duration, photos disappear. And that may give teenagers confidence to post virtually any kind of photo.

There are other communication platforms that young adults and teenagers also use including:

• Badoo – this is an adults-only dating app. Unlike most other apps out there, it does not monitor content. Therefore, it features plenty of sexual material.
• Confession Sites – There are a number of so-called confession sites. These include Whisper, Secret and PostSecret. Users of these sites post confessions and secrets, most of which are sexual. But others concern life issues which may lead to meaningful conversations.
• Kik – though this is just another messenger app, it has gained a reputation as a sexting platform. It is popular among strangers searching for people to hook up with.
• Other hook-up apps – other popular hook-up apps include CasualX, Feeld and Wild.

Conclusion

Keeping up with teenagers and their highly dynamic lingo can be tough. But it is far from impossible. With the above comprehensive list of teenage slang by category, you are one step closer to victory. Just be sure to keep up with the changing times.