Nationwide — If you are the parent of a teenager, there’s a good chance that he or she has a cellphone and is regularly texting fellow teens of the opposite sex. Most parents consent to this as long as they can supervise the messages being sent back and forth, but the problem is that teens are now using slang and explicit code (also called “sexting”) when communicating so that their parents can’t understand.
#1 – IWSN: I Want Sex Now
#2 – GNOC: Get Naked on Camera
#3 – NIFOC: Naked in Front of Computer
#4 – LH6: Let’s Have Sex
#5 – CU46: See You For Sex
#6 – 53X: Sex
#7 – CD9: Parents Around/ Code 9
#8 – 9: Parent Watching
#9 – 99: Parent Gone
#10 – PIR: Parent in Room
#11 – KPC: Keeping Parents Clueless
#12 – POS: Parent Over Shoulder
#13 – SUGARPIC: Suggestive or Erotic Photo
#14 – LMIRL: Let’s Meet in Real Life
#15 – 8: Oral Sex
#16 – TDTM: Talk Dirty To Me
#17 – IPN: I’m Posting Naked
#18 – WTTP: Want to Trade Pictures?
#19 – GYPO: Get Your Pants Off
#20 – DUM: Do You Masturbate?
#21 – FYEO: For Your Eyes Only
If you find out that your child is using any of these codes when texting, now is the time to take action before it becomes a bigger problem. If your child is in fact “sexting”, then it may be time for a one-on-one time chat about sex and responsibility. But there are other dangers!
Potential Serious Legal Issues
According to one source, “sexting” can raise some very serious legal issues. For example, if a 17 or 18-year old sends an explicit image to a 13 or 14-year old, he or she could be charged with child-pornography offenses and may be required to register as a sex offender. As a parent, you too could be held liable if your name is on the cell-phone contract or if you knowingly failed to take measures to prevent your child from “sexting”.
For information on how to talk to your teen about “sexting”, visit:
www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/g201311/talk-to-your-teen-about-sexting/