With technology constantly evolving, children are on the internet now more than ever before. With social media sites, such as Facebook, Myspace, Mxit, Twitter, Google + and loads of chat groups, kids of today are always in contact with one another. When not on the net, they’re on their cellphones with instant messaging such as BBM, MXIT and Whatsapp. Not only have kids mastered the art of quick typing, but they’ve managed to narrow down words to abbreviations and acronyms, to avoid long phrases for even faster communication.
Abbreviations such as wud, L2m, LOL and 143 are some of the common terms that kids and teens of today use. The simple translations are: What you doing? Listening to music. Laugh out loud and I love you. These, however, are some of the more innocent abbreviations. Grammar rules are rarely obeyed and vowels are frequently dropped, for instance “very” would become “vry”. Some of these are easy to understand, but not all of them are like this.
The scary reality is that today’s generation of kids have come up with abbreviations and acronyms to let each other know that parents are around. Children could be doing this because they want their chats to be kept a secret, even if not bad or harmful, or they could be saying something inappropriate or harmful. This is where problems could arise. Some of these are MOS, P911, PAW, PAL, PIR and POS. These terms mean: Mom over shoulder. Parent alert. Parents are watching. Parents are listening. Parent in room and Parent over shoulder.
Many parents monitor their children’s online activity, but when it comes to these abbreviations and acronyms; parents are stumped, and are left feeling frustrated. Certain websites have been created, such as “Teen Chat Decoder”, which has become a lifesaver for many parents. All they have to do is type in the online abbreviation they want to know, and the site will decode it and display all possible results for the term. A website called “NetLingo” has also published the top 50 abbreviations that parents need to know.
Because there is access to free internet and instant messaging all over the world, many people have abused it, and take advantage of more vulnerable people. There are many risks involved for children who are communicating via the web and instant messaging, some of the main dangers being: sexual predation, bullying, harassment and the availability of illegal and harmful content. Abbreviations such as NIFOC, TDTM, GNOC and GYOP refer to pornographic acts which parents need to be concerned about. Translated these mean: Nude in front of the computer. Talk dirty to me. Get naked on camera and get your pants off. Many children get themselves into dangerous situations because they don’t think about the consequences of what they are doing.
In June of 2000, the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the United States conducted a survey of more than 1 500 children aged between 10 and 17 who used the internet regularly. Although the survey is a bit outdated, and many of the numbers have changed, it shows the dangers of the internet and the importance of parents getting involved.
The statistics were shocking. One in 17 youths had been threatened or harassed over the internet. One in 33 had received a proposal involving someone asking to meet them somewhere, phone them, or send them something in the mail. Approximately one in five youths reported receiving a sexual proposal over the internet in the past year. And approximately one in four youths had an unwanted exposure online to sexual material. Now think about it… if this is what the stats were 11 years ago, can you imagine what they must be now? Scary thought!
I suppose that you can’t always protect your children, but there are certain safety precautions that you, as a parent, can take to prevent your children from being exposed to these frightful things. “Safe Surfing Kids” is a website which is dedicated to helping families surf the internet, with awareness, safety and knowledge. It gives some excellent pointers on how to help your children surf the internet safely.
Before all this intricate technology, it was much easier for parents to keep track of what their children were getting up to, but now with the constant state of evolution of technology, the dangers are magnified. Parents need to be alert, and need to teach their children to use cell phones and the internet responsibly.
The key is communication – be involved in your child’s activities, know their friends, hobbies and interests. This will help in creating a safer environment for your children to communicate in. – By Danielle Sheedy
Useful links and websites:
• www.safesurfingkids.com
• www.netlingo.com/top50/acronyms-for-parents.php
• www.ehow.com/info_8748199_child-internet-safety-acronyms.html
• www.teenchatdecoding.com