Raising Kids Technology The Secret Language of Teens: 100 Text and Social Media Acronyms By Amy Morin, LCSW facebook twitter instagram Amy Morin, LCSW, is the Editor-in-Chief of Verywell Mind. She's also a psychotherapist, international bestselling author and host of the The Verywell Mind Podcast. Learn about our editorial process Amy Morin, LCSW Fact checked by Fact checked by Shereen Lehman, MS on June 02, 2020 Shereen Lehman, MS, is a healthcare journalist and fact checker. She has co-authored two books for the popular Dummies Series (as Shereen Jegtvig). Learn about our editorial process Shereen Lehman, MS Updated on June 02, 2020 Print Tim Merton / Hoxton / Getty Images If you've ever glanced at your teen's conversations over text or you've seen how she chats on social media, there's a good chance that you sometimes have no idea what she's talking about. Social media acronyms and abbreviations can feel like another whole language. But it's important to learn what some of that shorthand means. Monitoring your teen's online activity won't be helpful if you can't understand what your teen is saying. You might allow unhealthy conversations to take place right in front of you. While you don't want to spy on your teen, it is important to stay up-to-date on your teen's social media and smartphone activity. Educate yourself about the most common social media acronyms and slang so you can be aware of the conversations your teen is having. Social Media and Text Acronyms to Know Here are the most common social media acronyms teens are using to communicate with one another: 143 - I love you 2DAY - Today 4EAE - Forever and ever ADN - Any day now AFAIK - As far as I know AFK - Away from keyboard ASL - Age/sex/location ATM - At the moment BFN - Bye for now BOL - Be on later BRB - Be right back BTW - By the way CTN - Can’t talk now DWBH - Don’t worry, be happy F2F or FTF - Face to face FWB - Friends with benefits FYEO - For your eyes only GAL – Get a life GB - Goodbye GLHF - Good luck, have fun GTG - Got to go GYPO - Get your pants off HAK - Hugs and kisses HAND - Have a nice day HTH - Hope this helps / Happy to help HW - Homework IDK - I don’t know IIRC - If I remember correctly IKR - I know, right? ILY / ILU - I love you IM - Instant message IMHO - In my honest opinion / In my humble opinion IMO - In my opinion IRL - In real life IWSN - I want sex now IU2U - It’s up to you IYKWIM - If you know what I mean J/K - Just kidding J4F - Just for fun JIC - Just in case JSYK - Just so you know KFY - Kiss for you KPC - Keeping parents clueless L8 - Late LMBO - Laughing my butt off LMIRL – Let’s meet in real life LMK - Let me know LOL - Laugh out loud LSR - Loser MIRL - Meet in real life MOS - Mom over shoulder NAGI - Not a good idea NIFOC - Nude in front of computer NM - Nevermind NMU - Not much, you? NP - No problem NTS - Note to self OIC - Oh I see OMG - Oh my God ORLY - Oh, really? OT - Off topic OTP - On the phone P911 - Parent alert PAW - Parents are watching PCM - Please call me PIR - Parent in room PLS or PLZ - Please PPL - People POS - Parents over shoulder PTB - Please text back QQ - Crying. This abbreviation produces an emoticon in text. It’s often used sarcastically. RAK - Random act of kindness RL - Real life ROFL - Rolling on the floor laughing RT - Retweet RUOK - Are you okay? SMH - Shaking my head SOS - Someone over shoulder SRSLY - Seriously SSDD - Same stuff, different day SWAK - Sealed with a kiss SWYP - So, what’s your problem? SYS - See you soon TBC - To be continued TDTM -Talk dirty to me TIME - Tears in my eyes WYCM - Will you call me? TMI - Too much information TMRW - Tomorrow TTYL - Talk to you later TY or TU - Thank you VSF - Very sad face WB - Welcome back WTH - What the heck? WTPA - Where the party at? WYCM - Will you call me? YGM - You’ve got mail YOLO - You only live once YW - You’re welcome ZOMG - Oh my God (sarcastic) Set Healthy Limits Understanding the online language of teens is just one step in ensuring online safety. Create social media policies and establish cellphone rules that will reduce your teen's risk of engaging in unhealthy behavior, like sexting. Educate your teen about the dangers of online activity. Ongoing conversations about the dangers, combined with regular monitoring, will increase the chances that your teen will stay safe on social media and the internet at large. Dangers of Apps and the Internet for Teens Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get expert tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. KidsHealth from Nemours. Screen Time Guidelines for Teens. KidsHealth from Nemours. Internet Safety. Updated April 2018.