Teen lingo:

A new report entitled Net Speak: Think You Know the Lingo? has just been released by the UK-based KnowTheNet.org.uk, with some great tools, tips and data about teens online. 

Some of their findings:

• 58% of youngsters admit someone has said hurtful things to them online

• 70% of students say they regularly see online bullying going on

• 90% of teens who have come across cyberbullying ignore it

• Girls are twice as likely to get involved in cyberbullying as boys

• 75% or so of students have visited a website saying nasty things about a fellow student, and

• People who are bullied are anywhere between twice and nine times more likely to think about suicide.

According to their survey they also found that 81% of teenagers use netspeak - which is hardly a surprise! They report using netspeak because it is faster (86%), because it’s what their friends use (41%) and because it’s ‘cool’ (25%).

Luckily only 12% said they use net speak because it is the way they speak in real life.

Parents should begin to learn common net speak terms. A recent piece of research by Knowthenet revealed that just 30% of parents of 10-18 year olds accurately identified definitions of six popular netspeak terms. Interestingly, Moms are more savvy than dads, with 32% of women choosing the correct definitions compared with 29% of men.

Here are the most important terms for parents to know - as they're not good ones.

·       Noob – this refers to a new member of a forum or community, and is often used as an insult. It derives from the term “Newbie.”

·       Frape – this occurs when someone updates another person’s social network profile without their permission. Sometimes posting insults.

·       QQ – this means that the person typing it is crying.

·       LMIRL – Let’s Meet in Real Life.

·       GNOC – Get Naked on Camera.

·       FWB – Friends With Benefits.

·       ASL – Age, Sex, Location.

These terms are all red flags. If a parent sees them in conversation it is important to dig a little deeper and talk to your child about what is going on. These are also important to pay attention to during text messaging.