District Attorney Branson Provides Important Information for Parents Regarding Commonly Used Acronyms in Text Messaging and On-line Communications

08/17/2009
Dear Douglas County Residents: I hope this message finds you enjoying the last days of summer. I thought now, the beginning of the new school year, was the perfect time to send out information to you and your family, friends and co-workers about acronyms and their vital importance to your children's on-line and cell phone communications. I bet many of you can remember how we used to talk quietly on the telephone with our friends and hoped our parents would not be listening to our latest plans for the evening or weekend. The reality of today is the rather innocent telephone calls have been replaced by the frightening reality of computers, cell phones, the internet, chat rooms, text messages and web-cams. When we were growing up, we knew exactly who we were talking with; today our children could literally be communicating with an unknown person in a foreign country. Times have changed and it is our responsibility as parents to educate ourselves and protect our kids. Please take your time and review the following list of acronyms. I sincerely apologize if any of you find these shocking, but it is my belief that if even one parent recognizes these acronyms and can take a step to protect their child or teen, then it was worth the risk of possibly offending someone. If you would like further information on this topic, I found a web-site that had more detailed information at www.netlingo.com/top50/index.php I hope you and your family had a safe and happy summer vacation. Sincerely yours, Charles E. Branson District Attorney IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS Commonly Used Acronyms in Text Messaging and in On-line Communications 1. POS - Parents Over Shoulder 2. PIR - Parents In Room 3. P911 - Parent Alert 4. PAW - Parents Are Watching 5. PAL - Parents Are Listening 6. ASL - Age/Sex/Location 7. MorF - Male or Female 8. SorG - Straight or Gay 9. LMIRL - Let's Meet In Real Life 10. KPC - Keeping Parents Clueless 11. TD2M - Talk Dirty To Me 12. IWSN - I Want Sex Now 13. NIFOC - Nude In Front Of Camera 14. GYPO - Get Your Pants Off 15. ADR - Address 16. WYCM - Will You Call Me 17. KFU - Kisses For You 18. MOOS - Member of Opposite Sex 19. MOSS - Member of Same Sex 20. NALOPKT - Not A Lot Of People Know This

Related Links:
Netlingo - http://www.netlingo.com/top50/index.php

Media Contact:
Cheryl L. Wright - Assistant to the District Attorney
District Attorney's Office
785-841-0211
cwright@douglas-county.com