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.  

Lingo to Warn of Parental Monitoring (1)
POS Parent Over Shoulder
PIR Parent In Room
P911 Parent Alert
PAW Parents Are Watching
PAL Parents Are Listening
KPC Keeping Parents Clueless
Internet Lingo of Social or Sexual Nature (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?
Emoticons (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. Thank you for visiting theantidrug.com. You are now leaving the site. The Office of National Drug Control Policy is not responsible for the content or information gathering practices of other websites you are linking to.

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.Thank you for visiting theantidrug.com. You are now leaving the site. The Office of National Drug Control Policy is not responsible for the content or information gathering practices of other websites you are linking to.

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. Thank you for visiting theantidrug.com. You are now leaving the site. The Office of National Drug Control Policy is not responsible for the content or information gathering practices of other websites you are linking to.

1. “The NetLingo Top 20 Internet Acronyms Every Parent Needs to Know.” NetLingo.com; 2006.
2. Ibid.
3. “Emoticons.” Computeruser.com; 2006.