"c4n y0u m337 m3 f0r 4 f3w mlnu735 0n m0nd4y?"
To anyone under 21, the sentence probably reads as clear as this, but for most, including many parents, teachers and law enforcement officers, the slang code often used by today's youth when chatting online or in text messages is often difficult to decipher.
"I know 'lol' means 'laugh out loud' but that's about as complicated as it gets for me," said Tanya Starcher, 39, of Marietta. "I know my kids use a lot of (codes when messaging), because sometimes I'll even catch them writing it in their school work that I look over... Like 'u' instead of 'you' or '4' instead of 'for.'"
Because of the high rate of sexual exploitation of children and increasing drug trafficking that is being arranged online or through text messages, police are encouraging parents to monitor their children's online and cell phone activity.
The problem is that children today are very clever and want to protect their privacy. Children have developed language shortcuts that make communicating quick and hard for parents and other untrained adults to read, even when they may be looking over a shoulder.
"PIR" is just one of many codes children often type when texting or online to alert others there is a "parent in the room."
"There are a lot of good reasons parents should be interested in what their children are doing online or with their cell phones," said Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks.
To help parents, there are several online resources that will help "translate" messages or provide lists of commonly used terms. One such site is www.noslang.com.
Starcher said she is sometimes curious as to what her children chat about all day, but that she also wants to respect their privacy. She said she has two children, a 15-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl.
"I guess if I really was worried something was wrong I might want to look a little closer," she said.
A Marietta man set to be sentenced next month on child pornography charges is also accused of contacting area children through social networking sites, eventually getting cell phone numbers and soliciting sex from at least one child.
Marietta police handled the case, but Mincks said his office has seen similar cases, too.
"That's not uncommon at all," he said. "And now we're finding that the drug culture is using text messages to arrange sales. The modernization of everything was really meant to be a good thing as far as keeping track of people and friends, but it clearly is sometimes used to assist criminals and that use is only limited by imagination. Parents need to keep up with the times."
According to parenting advocate Web site noslang.com, if a child considers your actions "spying" you should take the opportunity to remind them that information posted online or "texted" is very public and can be viewed, or reposted, by almost anyone. Many teens simply don't realize that information posted electronically can live on forever and can reach beyond an intended audience.
Starcher's 13-year-old daughter, Rachelle, said she wouldn't care if her parents read most of her messages.
"Some things are just private," she said. "Like if my boyfriend texts me something, she shouldn't look at that. But most of my messages are just about what I'm doing or what my friends are doing."
The teen estimates she sends or receives 300 text messages each month. She was unsure how many online conversations she has each month, but estimated she spends at least an hour each day communicating with friends online.
As far as using slang, the girl said "it's just something all kids use."
"It's easier than typing everything out," she said. "It's not to make it so you can't read it, but that's kinda funny, though."
The opening sentence to this article reads:
"Can you meet me for a few minutes on Monday?"
