P999? Police reveal secret sexting codes every parent should know to keep their kids safe

Various regional police forces in the UK are concerned there has been an increase in school children and teenagers sexting, which can involve sharing semi-naked, naked and sexual-themed images of themselves over the internet via their smartphones.

The police want as many parents as possible to sit down with their children and warn them about the dangers of sexting, and why it could lead to embarrassment, blackmail or even a criminal record as, under law, it is still an offence to distribute indecent images of a child, if you are under the age of 18.

Parents should keep an eye on what their children are saying online and, to do this, the police have released a dictionary of sexting acronyms to enable them to understand what they are actually saying. The dictionary has been shared so far by the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Humberside Police, which covers Hull and East Yorkshire.

The police are also cautioning parents to think carefully about when and whether children should be allowed on certain online platforms. For instance, Facebook requires all users to be at least 13 years old before they can create an account, so should you be creating an account for them when they are only eight years old?

"Children and young people often have access to, or have their own, mobile phones. The camera facility on the phone is brilliant to capture their memories, but what happens when the camera is used in an inappropriate way?," Humberside Police said in a statement.

"We know talking about sexting with your child may feel uncomfortable or awkward but it is incredibly important to discuss the risks, teach them how to stay safe and explain how these reports can use up valuable police investigation time."

Many of the codes are innocent, and some of them you have probably grown up with, such as BRB (be right back), OMG (oh my god), IDK (I don't know) or TBC (to be continued), however others are more insidious, such as GYPO (get your pants off).

Here is the full list:

1. 143 – I love you

2. 2DAY – Today

3. 4EAE – For ever and ever

4. ADN – Any day now

5. AFAIK – As far as I know

6. AFK – Away from keyboard

7. ASL – Age/sex/location

8. ATM – At the moment

9. BFN – Bye for now

10. BOL – Be on later

11. BRB – Be right back

12. BTW – By the way

13. CTN – Can't talk now

14. DWBH – Don't worry, be happy

15. F2F or FTF – Face to face

16. FWB – Friends with benefits

17. FYEO – For your eyes only

18. GAL – Get a life

19. GB – Goodbye

20. GLHF – Good luck, have fun

21. GTG – Got to go

22. GYPO – Get your pants off

23. HAK – Hugs and kisses

24. HAND – Have a nice day

25. HTH – Hope this helps / Happy to help

26. HW– Homework

27. IDK – I don't know

28. IIRC – If I remember correctly

29. IKR – I know, right?

30. ILY / ILU – I love you

31. IM – Instant message

32. IMHO – In my honest opinion / In my humble opinion

33. IMO – In my opinion

34. IRL – In real life

35. IWSN – I want sex now

36. IU2U – It's up to you

37. IYKWIM – If you know what I mean

38. J/K – Just kidding

39. J4F – Just for fun

40. JIC– Just in case

41. JSYK – Just so you know

42. KFY – Kiss for you

43. KPC – Keeping parents clueless

44. L8 – Late

45. LMBO – Laughing my butt off

46. LMIRL – Let's meet in real life

47. LMK – Let me know

48. LOL – Laugh out loud

49. LSR – Loser

50. MIRL – Meet in real life

51. MOS – Mom over shoulder

52. NAGI– Not a good idea

53. NIFOC – Nude in front of computer

54. NM – Never mind

55. NMU – Not much, you?

56. NP – No problem

57. NTS – Note to self

58. OIC – Oh I see

59. OMG – Oh my God

60. ORLY – Oh, really?

61. OT – Off topic

62. OTP – On the phone

63. P911 – Parent alert

64. PAW – Parents are watching

65. PCM – Please call me

66. PIR – Parent in room

67. PLS or PLZ – Please

68. PPL – People

69. POS – Parents over shoulder

70. PTB – Please text back

71. QQ – Crying. This abbreviation produces an emoticon in text. It's often used sarcastically.

72. RAK – Random act of kindness

73. RL – Real life

74. ROFL – Rolling on the floor laughing

75. RT – Retweet

76. RUOK – Are you OK?

77. SMH – Shaking my head

78. SOS – Someone over shoulder

79. SRSLY – Seriously

80. SSDD – Same stuff, different day

81. SWAK – Sealed with a kiss

82. SWYP – So, what's your problem?

83. SYS – See you soon

84. TBC – To be continued

85. TDTM – Talk dirty to me

86. TIME – Tears in my eyes

87. WYCM – Will you call me?

88. TMI– Too much information

89. TMRW – Tomorrow

90. TTYL– Talk to you later

91. TY or TU– Thank you

92. VSF – Very sad face

93. WB – Welcome back

94. WTH – What the heck?

95. WTPA – Where the party at?

96. WYCM – Will you call me?

97. YGM – You've got mail

98. YOLO – You only live once

99. YW – You're welcome

100. ZOMG – Oh my God (sarcastic)

101. 182 – I hate you

102. 420 – Marijuana

103. ADR – Address

104. CD9 – Code 9 – it means parents are around

105. ILU – I Love You

106. KOTL – Kiss On The Lips

107. LMIRL – Let's Meet In Real Life

108. P999 – Parent Alert

109. PAL – Parents Are Listening or Peace And Love

110. RU/18 – Are You Over 18?

111. WYRN – What's Your Real Name?