Are Your Teens Sexting?

A new list of acronyms, slang terms, and other tips are being circulated as a way for parents to keep an eye on the children, to ensure that they are safe from sexting, inappropriate communication, and even sexual predators, according to ABC News.

The list, about 80 terms long, was put together by police and parents as a way of making sure that kids, especially teenagers, are kept safe.

Some – like PIR (parent in room) or PAL (parents are listening) – are used to quickly warn texters what is going on in front of them. Others are a little more graphic and risqué.

Police say that if parents see any of these terms, they might want to begin communication with their kids about their interactivity and sexuality, since it’s difficult to keep information, such as pictures, from exploding on the Internet and social networks.

Read the full report at ABCActionNews.com.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TEEN SEXTING

Sexting among teenagers has been in the news for a while. In some ways, it’s a natural extension of teen-age sexual exploration. In other ways, it’s reflective of how teen-agers don’t consider the long-term ramifications of their actions.

Atlantic Monthly has featured a few teen-age sexting reports in recent years.

» Why Kids Sext: An inquiry into one recent scandal reveals how kids think about sexting—and what parents and police should do about it.

» It’s Not Just About Showing Your Genitals: Around one in four teenagers has sent venereal texts or emails, and those who have are about seven times more likely to have old-fashioned, body-on-body sex.

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