SMS language

Have you ever walked past the computer and viewed a message from someone to your child asking this jumbled letter question? To many parents, the sentence in the picture above is confusing and hard to understand. But for children, this mode of communication has taken on a whole new language.

Translation: How was the party last night? Did you have fun? Bye for now, see you later face-to-face.

SMS stands for short messaging service, which is also known as text messaging, sent between mobile phones. It's called short messaging service because mobile phone screens can only display a limited amount of words in each message. It's popular with children because it's cheaper to send a text message than to make a phone call and they can send their message out to many people at the same time.

Children also use an SMS language, based on words in short form, in chat rooms and with instant messaging (IM). IM allows people to chat to each other instantly using online text messages.

• CU (see you)
• l8r (later)
• LOL (lots of love or laugh out loud)
• BFN (bye for now)
• 2MORO (tomorrow)
• J/C (just checking)
• ADR (address)
• AEAP (as early as possible)
• OMG (oh my God)
• IOH (I'm outta here)
• PAW (parents are watching)
• F2F (face-to-face)

Learning how to translate these messages comes with practice. When reading or writing an SMS or IM, numbers frequently replace words (e.g. '4' is used instead of the word 'for'), and vowels are absent in easily recognisable words (e.g. 'txt msg'). Capitals are also used to replace the letter name, and lower case letters are used to pronounce the consonants (e.g. the word 'XLNt' is 'exc-ell-en-t').

The good news is if you want to know the meaning of a word in a SMS or IM that your child is using, there are websites that will translate for you. Sites such as transl8it.com, NoSlang.com, Teenangels.org and Teenchatdecoder.com are great dictionary tools for translating the lingo that your child is using. Simply go to the site and enter the SMS or IM conversation and these online dictionaries will interpret it into real words.

Texting to friends is pretty common and fairly harmless for your child. However you should always let your child know of the costs involved if they overuse this service. IM is different. When children use IM, strangers can invite them to chat. Most conversations on IM, chat and social networking sites are risk-free, but some are not. Many IM services allow parents to log conversations. Understanding how to do this is a handy tool. You could also set their computer up in an open area such as the lounge room or kitchen where you have a presence and a view close by.

At the end of the day, it's important to discuss with your child any concerns you may have about their use of SMS and IM. Knowing who your child is chatting with and what they are saying can relieve any worry you may have about allowing your child to use these services.