The UK government has launched a new guide intended to help parents understand the internet slang used by horny teenagers, but somehow forgot to update their information from the 1990s. The official dictionary on government website Parent Info includes acronyms such as GNOC (Get Naked On Camera), PAW (Parents Are Watching), and KPC (Keep Parents Clueless). There’s also Zerg (“to gang up on someone”), 420 (“marijuana”), and LMIRL (glossed as “let’s meet in real life” with the addendum that it’s “fine if it’s their friends”). Even humble ASL gets a mention.
UK warns parents about ‘90s internet teen slang
The news of this dangerous internet code was reported with a straight face using republished agency copy in papers like The Guardian and The Telegraph, while users on Twitter mocked the would-be moral panic. In fairness, it seems like Parent Info simply lifted its information from the equally antiquated NetLingo.com, but that's no excuse for a government to spread outdated information. It's a shame, as the rest of the Parent Info site offers advice on some relevant and relatively unknown topics like the dangers of pro-anorexia communities on Tumblr or how to report abuse on Snapchat. Now all they need to do is address the menace of "Netflix and chill." Oh wait, no, they did that too:
"Netflix and chill" concerns make the Sunday Times, moral panic about film streaming spreads across the land. Dying. pic.twitter.com/ROJvym2NF0
— Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) September 6, 2015 Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
