Now that school is back in session, chances are most kids are busy keeping in touch with friends old and new through instant messaging. Also known as IM, instant messaging is one of the most common forms of communication for kids to use with their friends. According to a recent report by The Pew Internet & American Life Project, nearly 75% of young people, ages 12 to 17, use IM.

The days of talking for hours on the phone have given way to hours spent on IM, carrying on multiple conversations simultaneously, for free, and without the fear of parental eavesdropping. IM is a entirely new world for many parents, and it's helpful to understand the "IM lingo" kids use to ensure your child is communicating with friends in the same way you would expect them to on the phone.

Here's a quick test. Do you know what POS means? How about BRB? Your child probably does. POS is short for "parent over shoulder" and BRB is an abbreviation for "be right back." Both are common IM lingo. It's time parents freshen up on their IM lingo so they can monitor what and how safe their children's conversations online truly are. Read on for an A-Z list of IM lingo.

Here are a few tips on how to manage your children's instant messaging use:

• Keep the family computer in a common area where you can keep an eye on your child's IM conversations and general computer use.
• Set rules for using IM, including how many hours each day your child can use it. Remind your kids never to give out personal information like name, age and phone numbers to strangers.
• One of the best ways to know what your child is saying and doing is by keeping an open channel of communication between you and them. By talking to them and warning them about online dangers will help them stay out of bad situations.
• Children take risks on instant messenger that they would never take face-to-face because they believe there is a guarded security. Communicate to them that IMing can result in the same consequences as having a face-to-face conversation.

A-Z Guide

A

AFAIK: As Far As I Know

B

BRB: Be Right Back

C

CFN: Ciao For Now

D

DYOH: Do Your Own Homework

E

EOM: End Of Message

F

FYI: For Your Information

G

GMTA: Great Minds Think Alike

H

HT: Hi There

I

IDK: I Don't Know

J

JTLYK: Just To Let You Know

K

KIS: Keep It Simple

L

LOL Laughing Out Loud

M

MMN: Maybe, Maybe Not

N

NBD: No Big Deal

O

OIC: Oh I See

P

POS: Parent Over Shoulder

Q

QFU: Question For You

R

RUOK? Are You Okay?

S

SYS: See You Soon

T

TTYL: Talk To You Later

U

UCBS: You Can't Be Serious

V

VN: Very Nice

W

WFM: Works For Me

X

XO: Hugs and Kisses

Y

YT? You There?

Z

ZZZ: I'm Going To Bed

Grant Garrett is a Double Agent with Geek Squad, a 24-Hour Computer Support Task Force. He is based in Los Angeles.

About ModernMom.com: Modern Mom ( www.modernmom.com) features smart and practical advice on topics such as parenting, finances, career, health, wellness, beauty, entertainment and more. Read more about Home & Food at http://www.modernmom.com/category/FoodDrink

From Our Sponsors