Roundup: U.S. parents concerned about e-lingo used by teenagers

Roundup: U.S. parents concerned about e-lingo used by teenagers

by George Bao

LOS ANGELES, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Parents in the United Stateshave found themselves unable to read the language used by theirchildren in the cyber age, and efforts have been made byorganizations supported by the government to help them understandthe e-lingo.

"WU? WIBNI we could meet IRL? I'll keep my FC to CU F2F. P911!GFN!" That is the cyber language used by many teenagers. Totranslate it into common language, it means: "What's Up? Wouldn't itbe nice if we could meet in real life? I'll keep my fingers crossedto see you face-to-face. Parents are coming! Gone for now! "

To better understand what their children are communicatingnowadays, many parents and teachers are searching for ways to learnabout the "cyber slangs."

Meanwhile, more parents and teachers are worried that childrenwould become victims of cyber crimes.

Statistics show that 87 percent of teens in the United States nowcommunicate through texting and social media networking. That' s alot of time that children are speaking to someone about theirdeepest dark secrets, their wishes in life and their frustrations.

However, parents and teachers do not know what they are talkingabout. They have been kept in the dark in the cyber age.

There are actually a whole bunch of code words that tell theother person that parents are nearby, such as PA for "parent alert," PAL for "parents are listening" and PANB for "parents are nearby."

These abbreviations are examples of a whole different languagethat has evolved through the years and catches on quickly amongyouth who want to keep things a mystery to the older generation.

Texting through cellphones only allows 160 characters, and othersocial networks also have limits on the number of words the userscan write, so abbreviations have become a necessity. But cyber slangalso allows kids to have their own secret world online or on theircellphones.

In partnership with the U.S. government and private citizens, awebsite, www.INOBTR.org, has been set up to promote awareness andeducate children, parents and teachers in order to reduce the chanceof children becoming victims of Internet crimes. The name INOBTRitself is a "cyber slang," which means "I know better."

It is predicted that more than 50,000 predators are online at anytime in the United States trying to find their next victim. Theemergence of social media has made it quite easy for them to targetteens and an even younger crowd.

They search through Internet profiles, chat with children onlineand even play games innocently, for a while, on gaming sites. Theybuild trust. They build camaraderie.

"We're not big proponents of checking on kids, meaning spying,especially at the high school and college levels," Cindy Schroeder,executive director of INOBTR, said.

"If we demonstrate a lack of trust in kids, then that will becomea self-fulfilling prophecy. However, we should definitely be talkingwith our kids about what they say and do online and on their phones,making sure they understand that their values are on display everytime they communicate, verbally and technologically. Withtechnology, it can have more lasting effects," said Schroeder.

Children are very blatant in their words. Every generation isgoing to push the envelope further than the generation before.

"We can blame the media to a degree. When Charlie Sheen becomesan overnight sensation on Twitter, setting a new record forfollowers (over one million in just 24 hours), we aresensationalizing it. We make it OK, even attractive, to be 'outthere' and talk openly about sex and drugs," Schroeder explained.

According to Schroeder, 20 percent of teens in the United Statesare sending nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves, and 39 percenthave sent sexually suggestive messages. Therefore, parents have theobligation to teach their children to use technology responsibly.

INOBTR.org has a listing of the most up-to-date e-lingo to helpparents and teachers communicate with children and stay tuned in toanything that might raise a red flag.

For example, AAMOF means "as a matter of fact," AAS means " aliveand smiling," AFAIK means "as far as I know," A/S/L/M/H? means "age,sex, location, music, hobbies," CSL means "can't stop laughing," CUmeans "see you," SU means "shut up," and SYL means " see you later" -- according to the website.