Post by _Code on Apr 14, 2006 12:47:10 GMT -5
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Online Language Keeps Parents Guessing
Parents' Guide To Computer Slang
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Scott Wahle
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(CBS4) BOSTON It's called Leetspeak - the online language kids use to speed up communication and keep their parents guessing. The code has developed a dangerous edge to it.
Thirteen-year-old Michael Kennedy says BFF means "best friends forever" in an instant message from a friend. It's how kids communicate online, and it can be fairly innocent. OMG, for example, is "oh my gosh."
But Leetspeak, the secret code of numbers and letters, is changing and Internet safety experts want to warn parents about it.
"There are too many predators out there that could endanger their kids' lives or sexualize them too early," says Internet safety expert and family therapist Barbara Melton. "And leetspeak is just a gateway to all that."
How bad has the lingo become? NIFOC is one of the terms they will use and it means Naked in Front of Computer. Then there's KPC - Keeping Parents Clueless; GYP0 - Get Your Pants Off; and TDTM - Talks Dirty To Me.
While some parents are clued into the code, experts say most are not.
One young girl started a steamy online affair right in front of her parents says family therapist Susan Shankle, "While the mom was cooking dinner and the dad was watching television, the daughter who was 11 at the time was carrying on this conversation with an older man."
Although the parents checked the instant message regularly, the conversations were like a foreign language.
Al Kush of Wiredsafety.org has this advice for parents about Leetspeak, "At least become familiar with it. Know it's there.
Parental control software is helpful, but it's not a panacea. It's not the answer." Fortunately, there are several on-line dictionaries and translators that can help parents BTC...Break Their Code. They include Teenangels.org and Netlingo.com.
One of the most commonly used abbreviations is POS which means Parent Over Shoulder. Your kids may not like it, but experts say that's exactly where you should be if you want to help keep your child safe.
So, thats the topic. Discuss freely.
My operative question, and mainly because I have friends who will soon be parents >.>
At what point do adults just give up on staying current with relevant technology?
My parents can't keep up with a DVD player because of the Menu's; I remember when my father was interested in what a television could possibly do. Then Picture-In-Picture came out; forget about it. My mother refuses to learn how to use the remote because digital cable is too difficult. So.. when does staying current become an issue, and why does that lead to this fear surrounding everything they dont understand?
Not saying the internet isn't an irrational fear for parents in some regards; but damn lol
_Code
Online Language Keeps Parents Guessing
Parents' Guide To Computer Slang
Image
Scott Wahle
Reporting
Save It
Email this Article E-mail It
Print this Article Print It
(CBS4) BOSTON It's called Leetspeak - the online language kids use to speed up communication and keep their parents guessing. The code has developed a dangerous edge to it.
Thirteen-year-old Michael Kennedy says BFF means "best friends forever" in an instant message from a friend. It's how kids communicate online, and it can be fairly innocent. OMG, for example, is "oh my gosh."
But Leetspeak, the secret code of numbers and letters, is changing and Internet safety experts want to warn parents about it.
"There are too many predators out there that could endanger their kids' lives or sexualize them too early," says Internet safety expert and family therapist Barbara Melton. "And leetspeak is just a gateway to all that."
How bad has the lingo become? NIFOC is one of the terms they will use and it means Naked in Front of Computer. Then there's KPC - Keeping Parents Clueless; GYP0 - Get Your Pants Off; and TDTM - Talks Dirty To Me.
While some parents are clued into the code, experts say most are not.
One young girl started a steamy online affair right in front of her parents says family therapist Susan Shankle, "While the mom was cooking dinner and the dad was watching television, the daughter who was 11 at the time was carrying on this conversation with an older man."
Although the parents checked the instant message regularly, the conversations were like a foreign language.
Al Kush of Wiredsafety.org has this advice for parents about Leetspeak, "At least become familiar with it. Know it's there.
Parental control software is helpful, but it's not a panacea. It's not the answer." Fortunately, there are several on-line dictionaries and translators that can help parents BTC...Break Their Code. They include Teenangels.org and Netlingo.com.
One of the most commonly used abbreviations is POS which means Parent Over Shoulder. Your kids may not like it, but experts say that's exactly where you should be if you want to help keep your child safe.
So, thats the topic. Discuss freely.
My operative question, and mainly because I have friends who will soon be parents >.>
At what point do adults just give up on staying current with relevant technology?
My parents can't keep up with a DVD player because of the Menu's; I remember when my father was interested in what a television could possibly do. Then Picture-In-Picture came out; forget about it. My mother refuses to learn how to use the remote because digital cable is too difficult. So.. when does staying current become an issue, and why does that lead to this fear surrounding everything they dont understand?
Not saying the internet isn't an irrational fear for parents in some regards; but damn lol
_Code
