50+ Surprising Text Text Abbreviations and Emoji Meanings Parents Should Know

Teen slang is ever-changing and fast-moving making it difficult for any parent to keep up with what the latest emoji or acronym means in teen-talk. It might look like an innocent vegetable emoji to you, but it can have an entirely different meaning to a teenager. As a parent or guardian, you may be concerned about the messages that are being sent between your teen and their peers. You may also assume that many of the emojis below may be totally innocent when in fact they convey some quite adult messages.

If you feel like reading text messages has become an exercise in code breaking, you’re right.   Some people still send plain text, but many ─ especially kids ─ stuff their messages with abbreviations or acronyms, smileys, slang,  winking hearts, and piles of poo.

All these are an attempt to restore some of the richness and fun of face-to-face (FTF) communication. In the absence of body language, facial expression, and tone of voice, symbols are a way to convey additional information about thoughts and feelings. Kids are especially drawn to these symbols, in part because every generation enjoys having a secret language that baffles their elders.    To get a grip on what kids are saying, parents need to know the most common forms of code.

Teenage Texting Lingo: What Is an Acronym?

Acronyms are abbreviations that consist of the initial letters of multiple words but are pronounced as a single word. Acronyms are extremely popular among kids and teens because. They tend to use them everywhere online, and especially on social media.

Abbreviations become so popular because they allow children to communicate instantly, without typing long pieces of text. Teens also know that parents always keep an eye on them. And that’s another good reason to use abbreviations and slang words in texts. It is a strategy that kids use to prevent adults from overreacting.

If you’re one of those parents who keep asking themselves, “What does FTF mean in texting?” or “What does PAP stand for in texting”, keep reading this article.

Texting Dictionary for Parents: 50 Abbreviations You Didn’t Know About

The way of communication between teenagers has gradually shifted to digital, and they began to use all kinds of hidden emoji and slang to express their emotions and thoughts. These symbols and words are usually only used among young people, and for parents, Can be difficult to understand or identify. Here are some hidden emoji meanings and slang words parents should know.

General Acronyms:

Expressing emotions and feelings

HIFW – How I feel when

HIFW has become one of the most common text abbreviations in funny, sarcastic memes and gifs on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  Another example with the full words is also frequently used in blogs and FB posts.

TFW – That feeling when. TFW internet slang often goes in a caption to an image.

MFW – My face when

MRW – My reaction when

IFYP – I feel your pain

LOL – Laughing out loud

TNTL – Trying not to laugh

JK – Just kidding

IDC – I don’t care

ILY – I love you

IMU – I miss you

ADIH – Another day in hell

IDC – I don’t care

ZZZ – Sleeping, bored, tired

WYWH – Wish you were here

TIME – Tears in my eyes

BAE – Before anyone else

You can use it referring to a person who you care for the most. E.g. Me and my BAE have just watched another episode of Game of Thrones!

SSDD – Same stuff, different day

QQ – Crying

For me, the origin of QQ abbreviation is really surprising. According to Urban Dictionary, at first, QQ meant to quit the game Warcraft II by pressing the hotkey Alt+QQ. Hence, when a player started whining, others offered him to QQ. Soon, it was associated with crying eyes and used in texting and tweeting as well.

FIMH – Forever in my heart

BSAAW – Big smile and a wink

BWL – Bursting with laughter

LMAO – Laughing my a** off

BFF: Best friends forever

CSL – Can’t stop laughing

Acronyms for Parents

CD9 — Parents around/Code 9

KPC — Keeping parents clueless

POS — Parent over shoulder

MOS — Mom Over Shoulder

PIR — Parent in room

PAW — Parents are watching

Sexual Abbreviations and Emoji Meanings for Text Messages

IWSN — I want sex now

143 — I love you

NIFOC — Naked in front of computer

GYPO — Get your pants off

FWB  —  Friends with benefits

                                                                                 Sex tape

                                                                        Touch my breasts

                                                                              You’re hot

                                                                            Send nudes

                                                                             Have sex

Acronyms for Drugs

420 — Marijuana

Broken — Hangover from alcohol

CID — Acid

DOC — Drug of choice

Molly – Ecstasy/MDMA

                                                                         Marijuana

I know what the acronym means:  what now?

Acronyms Parents Should Know

By now, you know a lot about the texting abbreviations teens use online. Although you don't need to bother with the question "What does TCH mean in text messages?" Or look for the meaning of "BAE", the danger remains. 

Knowing teen slang and acronyms isn't enough if you want to keep your kids from sexting strangers on social media or keep them safe from other nuisances like cyberbullying. In order to protect your children from communicating with online predators on the Internet, you need to know exactly which acronyms your children are receiving or sending.

What is OTP and what is its use in parental control settings? This article will give you an overview of the meaning, usage and examples of OTP (One Time Password)!

One proven way to find out is to use a parental control app, such as SpyX. You only need to spend tens of seconds to register an account, you can use the keylogging function to record the keystrokes on your child's device, and allow you to:

1.Find out if your child is searching for inappropriate content online (drugs, alcohol, sex, etc.)

2.Set restricted keywords

3.Get notified instantly when they use certain acronyms

4.See all content with dangerous abbreviations

What you can get with SpyX

SpyX is a parental control app designed to help you spot dangers and prevent your kids from doing things they regret.

In addition to creating a database of restricted words (now you know at least 50 new acronyms), the app allows you to monitor conversations on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and other text messengers.

You can also view your child's browsing history, phone location, bookmarks, social media chats and connected Wi-Fi networks directly from your smartphone. Of course, you can remotely block unwanted apps and limit suspicious contacts on your child's phone.