No more passing notes. Today's teens are talking, texting, posting and often using words and abbreviations so parents won't understand.
[WEB EXTRA: Common texting codes | Common hashtags | Hashtag definitions ]
Mixed among the world of smiley face emoticons where you say OMG as you LOL, there are other letter combinations that could actually spell danger for your child.
One code, "LMIRL," is a request to meet "in real life" because today's teens communicate using social media; sites like Instagram, Twitter and Kik where they can be anonymous and hash tag deals for followers.
The code "f4f" means "follow for follow" and is often used on Twitter and Instagram as in, "I'll follow you if you follow me."
Some teens even believe they can turn a stranger into a friend.
"ASLP" means age, sex, location, and photo, so if you see the hash tag ASLP someone is asking for your child's private information.
Elizabeth Ialongo, mom of four, was dumbfounded by some of the texting codes Local 6 shared with her.
"PRON" is one that's actually more direct than others. It means porn.
But then there's "THOT," which means a promiscuous girl.
And "GNRN" that stands for "get naked right now."
Carmele Ocean, a mother of three boys, also felt clueless when quizzed.
When asked what "TINA" meant she had no idea. It means crystal meth.
Ocean was asked if she knew what "CU46" meant. Local 6 told her it meant "see you for sex.''
Certainly not the lingo most parents remember from their teenage years.
If you see the code "420" know your teen could be talking about marijuana.
Many parents Local 6 spoke with believed it's important to try to keep up with their teen's language and according to a study released in the Journal Pediatric, they're right.
The study followed one thousand teens over six years and found sexting to be the new gateway to physical sexual activity.