Sources: LG DTXTR website, FoxNews.com
I'll admit - I've heard some of the text messaging catchphrases that tech savvy teenagers use. With text messaging rapidly becoming the most popular form of communication, younger family members have sent me phrases such as "TTYL," "L8R," and "G2G." After seeing them several times, I figured out what they meant, and even learned how to send "2" instead of "to" when responding to them. Admittedly, I am old fashioned; I like my full, grammatically correct
sentences. But upon hearing about LG's new "DTXTR" website, aiming to
help parents - and anyone else, for that matter - understand what is
actually being said, I was quite intrigued. I was never aware that
this "short messaging vocabulary" actually existed outside of a few
phrases, and their website offers a glossary of texting
terms - from "4COL" (for crying out loud), to "LOTA" (lots of
thunderous applause). While browsing the website, you can read up on
text tips for parents, submit a new "text term," or register for a
phone giveaway (hey, LG marketing had to be thrown in there somewhere). While you may not be able to join the ranks of the 42 percent of teens that can text with their eyes closed (literally), it could give insight as to what your child is saying to their friends.
My primary question was likely shared by many parents and individuals around the world: how in the world do these kids actually understand what they're sending eachother? And how do they keep their texting and personal languages separate? IIW2SATA (if I was to start abbreviating this article), no one would understand what I was saying. For them, it's a secondary language, according to Dr. John Sargent, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "Kids like the notion of having a private language," he said. "That could make the parents
learning how to do text messaging be something that the kids are
uncomfortable with because it's their own thing."
The glossary offers parents the unique ability to understand what their children are saying to their friends, particularly in a day and age where "sexting" has become commonplace. Whether you're a teenager who's upset that Mom can now understand your lingo, or a parent who feels like learning more would make for a stronger parent-child connection, we would love to hear your opinions. Let us know below!
