According to a recent study from TRUSTe, 80% of teens use privacy settings on Facebook to hide content from friends or parents. This combined with the use of new slang terms and text messaging shorthand can make it near impossible for even the most vigilant parents to have a handle on their child's online activity. To help parents keep their teens safe online, the makers of GoGoStat Parental Guidance are alerting parents to teen language as part of their free online safety application that supervises social media postings by kids.
A sample of online teen slang terms parents should know:
2lc -- Ecstasy
%- -- Hung over
Juggler - Teenage drug dealer
YSG --You're So Gay [gay in the slang derogatory term]
GNOC - Get naked on cam
DOC -- Drug of choice
Kicker - Oxycontin
Barr -- Codeine cough syrup
KPC--Keeping Parents Clueless
Parents can monitor their teens' activity on Facebook through GoGoStat Parental Guidance, the first free application for supervising social media postings by kids. GoGoStat Parental Guidance, developed by former Microsoft employees at Schakra, helps keep parents apprised of inappropriate social media postings, contacts or cyberbullying in which their teens may be involved.
With GoGoStat Parental Guidance, parents are notified so they can act quickly and start a discussion with their teen when he or she posts new status messages containing 'bad' words, vulgarities, drug references or other terms which could indicate cyberbullying, sexual predators or other unsafe activity. Notifications are also triggered if kids post new photos which could prove to be reputation-damaging or reflect risky behavior, as well as if personal profile details are posted that could compromise family security. Parental Guidance alerts parents to their teens' new 'friending' actions to reflect who's new, providing detailed charts including the ages and locations of friends. Parents are not required to have a Facebook account nor "friend" their children to take advantage of GoGoStat Parental Guidance.
"Education around online privacy has a long way to go," said Ron Stevenson, senior product manager at Schakra. "Some teens over-share, as do adults, yet the risks for teens are higher. We believe that technology together with regular family discussions can help alleviate some of the dangers of social networking sites."
"Young people have a vibrant and active life online. The key word here is 'life.' Most of the time, for most young people, that life is safe and very well lived, but not always and not for all," said Mike Donlin, consultant and former program manager for Seattle Public Schools' Prevention-Intervention program and Technology Services. "As adults, we have to become much more knowledgeable and involved in that life. We have to be able to help them over the rough spots. So, talk with your kids and use all the tools at your disposal. GoGoStat Parental Guidance can be one of those tools to help get your conversations going."
