This article was published on November 4, 2017

Watchdog app reveals list of absurd teen texting codes


Watchdog app reveals list of absurd teen texting codes

Is this what the kids are doing these days?

Teen/parent watchdog app Bark.us released a list of abbreviations and acronyms it has gathered that are popular among teens. No surprise, most of them are about naughty things like sex and drugs. It’s not exactly new — I’ve seen similar versions of the same list floated around for years. Still, I have seen some of them used online, so I take that to mean the rest have probably been typed by teens at some point.

Some are obscure, while others are a little too obvious to be practical, even for those with not-so tech-savvy parents — is there anyone who doesn’t know what 420 means? (I’m gonna be surprised by how many people who say “yes,” aren’t I?) Not to mention the ubiquity of “Netflix and chill” might render it kinda pointless as horny teen double-speak.

I think the main takeaway from this post is that today’s teens are all robots, because some of these shorthand ways of talking don’t sound remotely like how humans would express emotions. Make like a greaser and call me a square, but I can’t make heads or tails out of this.

The 💜 of EU tech

The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!

Teens in the audience: raise your hands if you’ve ever used one of the following seriously:

  • GNOC – Get Naked On Cam (I swear I thought this was a Warcraft thing at first)
  • UH – Are You Horny? (Or an expression of confusion, I think)
  • SH – Sh** Happens (An expression of silence, as well)
  • CU46 – See You For Sex (Beep boop, fellow human)
  • 99 – Parents Are Gone (Um, because you’ve got that many problems and your parents aren’t one?)

h/t KSDK

Get the TNW newsletter

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.

Published
Back to top