Back in the day, you probably stayed up all night talking on the phone to your best friend.
These days, kids let their fingers do the talking, instant messaging or texting their "BFF's" at any time of the day or night.
BFF is "best friend forever" in Internet shorthand.
7NEWS tested several parents on the streets of Cherry Creek North to see if they could crack the codes their own children use when sending texts by phone or instant messaging online.
Do you know what "POS" means in kid lingo? That's "parent over shoulder." Don't worry, the three dads we asked didn't know either.
Detective Mike Harris of the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office told 7NEWS that cracking the codes kids use isn't about being cool, it's about keeping them safe.
"If they (parents) were to walk in, they may be missing a big red flag because they don't know the lingo or the language," Harris said.
Those red flags include the abbreviations "F2F", or "face to face," and "IRL," which means "in real life." Harris said those terms may indicate the predator is trying to meet your child in person.
Harris makes a living posing as children online to catch Internet predators in the act, but he said the perverted criminals are even better than he is at talking to kids at their level.
But ultimately, only parent involvement and supervision can make the difference when it comes to keeping kids safe online. Check out the list below:
- 8 - it means ate, can also refer to oral sex
- 9 -Parent watching
- 99 - Parent gone
- 1337 - Elite -or- leet -or- L337
- 143 - I love you
- 1174 - the meeting place, meet at
- 420 - Marijuana
- 459 - I love you
- 53X - Sex
- ADR - Address
- AEAP - As Early As Possible
- ALAP - As Late As Possible
- ASL - Age/Sex/Location
- BROKEN - hung over from alcohol
- CD9 - Code 9 - it means parents are around
- C-P - Sleepy
- F2F - Face-to-Face
- GNOC - Get Naked On Cam
- GYPO - Get Your Pants Off
- HAK - Hugs And Kisses
- ILU - I Love You
- IWSN - I Want Sex Now
- KOTL - Kiss On The Lips
- KFY -or- K4Y - Kiss For You
- KPC - Keeping Parents Clueless
- LMIRL - Let's Meet In Real Life
- MOOS - Member Of The Opposite Sex
- MOSS - Member(s) Of The Same Sex
- MorF - Male or Female
- MOS - Mom Over Shoulder
- MPFB - My Personal F*** Buddy
- NALOPKT - Not A Lot Of People Know That
- NIFOC - Nude In Front Of The Computer
- NMU - Not Much, You?
- P911 - Parent Alert
- PAL - Parents Are Listening -or- Peace And Love
- PAW - Parents Are Watching
- PIR - Parent In Room
- POS - Parent Over Shoulder -or- Piece Of Sh**
- pron - Porn
- Q2C - Quick To Cum
- RU/18 - Are You Over 18?
- RUMORF - Are You Male OR Female?
- RUH - Are You Horny?
- S2R - Send To Receive
- SorG - Straight or Gay
- TDTM - Talk Dirty To Me
- WUF - Where You From
- WYCM - Will You Call Me?
- WYRN - What's Your Real Name?
