TGIF, RSVP or even ASAP may sound familiar; however as computers have transformed communications a new dialect has emerged: Internet lingo. Acronyms or character symbols called Emoticons (mixing symbols to express emotions or moods) enable teens to communicate with others in a few keystrokes. While often just a convenient and quick means of communication, many teens use these acronyms and symbols to warn their friends when parents might be present and even to discuss drug use in a code that parents can’t decipher.
Instant messages, blog entries and text messages often look like Sanskrit to parents, but decoding this lingo used in digital communications is an important monitoring skill that should not be overlooked. Here is a quick guide to help you translate what teens are saying online and in their cell phone text messages. Keep in mind that, as with street names for drugs, these symbols and acronyms are subject to frequent change, particularly when those who use them suspect that others have figured out what they mean.
 (1) |
| POS |
Parent Over Shoulder |
| PIR |
Parent In Room |
| P911 |
Parent Alert |
| PAW |
Parents Are Watching |
| PAL |
Parents Are Listening |
| KPC |
Keeping Parents Clueless |
 (2) |
| WYCM |
Will You Call Me? |
| ASL |
Age/Sex/Location |
| MorF |
Male or Female |
| KFY |
Kiss For You |
| MOOS |
Member(s) Of the Opposite Sex |
| ADR |
Address |
| LMIRL |
Let's Meet In Real Life |
| HAK |
Hugs And Kisses |
| ILU or ILY |
I Love You |
| KOTL |
Kiss On The Lips |
| SMIM |
Send Me an Instant Message |
| SMEM |
Send Me an E-Mail |
| WUF |
Where Are You From? |
| WYRN |
What's Your Real Name? |
 (3) |
| ;) |
Winking |
| :*( |
Crying |
| #-) |
Wiped out, partied all night |
| %*} |
Inebriated |
| %\ |
Hangover |
| 8-# |
Death |
| :-d~ |
Heavy smoker |
| :->< |
Puckered up to kiss |
| :/i |
No smoking |
To view the entire list, visit here. 
Drug Lingo
Similar to Internet lingo, drug nomenclature can be cryptic. Parents can monitor for drug use by learning popular drug lingo and asking questions. A few examples of popular drug lingo are listed below; a database containing more than 2,300 street terms is also available.
| Marijuana Lingo |
| Pot |
Marijuana |
| Weed |
Marijuana |
| Bud |
Marijuana |
| Kind Bud |
An expensive and potent strain of marijuana |
| Mary Jane |
Marijuana |
| Ganja |
Marijuana |
| Blunt |
Marijuana rolled into a Philly Blunt or similar type of cigar |
| Bong |
A large water filtered pipe for smoking marijuana |
See the Street Terms for more drugs here.
| Prescription Drug |
| Pharming |
Raiding medical cabinets to trade and consume prescription drugs to get high |
| Robotripping |
Drinking cough medicine to get high (comes from the brand name Robitussin) |
| Lean |
Drinking prescription cough syrup mixed with painkillers and soda |
| O |
Oxycontin |
| Tweaking |
High on amphetamines |
| Blue Boogers |
Snorting Adderall or Ritalin |
See the Street Terms for other drugs here.
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