Sexting codes? Parents might be shocked
You probably know that LOL means "Laugh out loud" or that OMG means "Oh my god," but what about RUH or PIR? Any idea what GNOC represents?
The translations of these text messages may surprised and alarm you. They include "Are you horny," "parents in room" and "get naked on camera." All of these are acronyms teenagers used to send sexually explicit messages that teachers and more importantly, Mom and Dad, don't usually understand.
We showed parents a list of 50 sexting codes including the number 8, which means "oral sex." LMIR stands for "let's meet in real life" and GYPO is short for "get your pants off."
"I would never be able to figure this stuff out. It's appalling quite frankly," said one father, who saw the list.
Another said this, "I wouldn't have a clue about this."
"It's surprising how extreme it's gotten," said Dr. Melinda Harper.
Harper is a psychologist specializing in teen issues, who also teaches at Queens University of Charlotte. She's heard from parents worried about sexting. But even she was surprised by some of the explicit acronyms on the list.
"Very adult and it borders slightly, in my opinion, on soft pornography," she said.
Harper says parents can't afford to be naive. Think about it this way.
"You don't give a 16-year-old free reign over a car and say unlimited miles and unlimited gas. You inform them no drinking and driving. Please don't let individuals I don't know in the car with you. The same can happen with the use of the phone or the computer," she said.
She encourages parents to take it one step further.
"Letting the child know that hey, randomly and unexpectedly I'm going to ask for your phone so get ready for that," she said.
While sexting is a tough subject for parents, learning the language is certainly time well spent. Harper's advice: Have the talk with your teens before it's too late.
"I think it's a wonderful opportunity to open dialogues with your child and to be proactive and to be preventative and take action," Harper said.
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