Understanding Teens' Social Media Slang Words And Acronyms: What Parents Need To Know

One of the things that parents find difficult to understand about their teenagers is their use of slang words especially when communicating online through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, chat groups or website forums. Fortunately, a list of teens' social media slang words and acronyms with an explanation for each has been released.

The list, which was compiled by ASKfm and reported by Parenting, can help parents better understand their children especially when they are using social media. Below is the top 20 social media slang words and acronyms used by teens.

PAP: Acronym for "post a picture".

"Bad": It can either mean "good" or "hot".

Ship: It is a slang term for relationship.

:3: A symbol added to the end of a word, phrase, or sentence that is cute, clever or  sarcastic.

IDEK: Acronym for "I don't even know".

IKR: Acronym for  "I know, right?"

OOTD: Acronym for "Outfit of the day".

SMH: Acronym for "Shaking my head".

Dime: The best something can get on a scale of one to 10.

THOT: Acronym for "that ho over there" which is a slang phrase that refers to a promiscuous person.

Netflix and chill: A slang phrase for spending time at home with a partner, watching TV together and engaging in sexual activity.

Savage: A slang term for something extremely and unbelievably impressive.

AF: Acronym for "As f***". Example - That movie is scary AF.

TBR: Acronym for "To be rude". This is used when posting about honest but harsh feelings or thoughts.

Peep: A slang term that refers to a friend or a slang verb that refers to looking at or listening to.

Slept: A slang word that might mean knocking someone out by hitting them hard, missing out on something or being high on drugs.

GOAT: Acronym for "Greatest of all time".

No chill: A slang phrase that refers to someone who is being unreasonable and irrational.

Likers get rate: A slang phrase used to get likes, comments, and shares for a post in exchange for something in return.

Frog emoji + coffee cup emoji: A combination of emoji symbols used when a poster or commenter shares a personal opinion on a certain matter.

Other effective ways to parent teens' social media use include always reminding them about proper behavior on social media, talking with them about the negative consequences of social media misbehavior and being consistent with the enforcement of social media rules, according to WebMD. Parents are also advised to have their children read and sign on a written contract -- detailing the rules on social media use and the consequences for breaking the rules.

If parents want to better understand teens' social media slang words and acronyms, they also need to be always up-to-date with the ever-changing terminologies. "Teen language can experience a seismic shift with just a few clicks, texts or posts and word or even symbol choices can literally change by the day." ASKfm CTO Andrea Cutright says via Parenting.