Internet Terms/Slang You Should Know

Common Internet Terms

Adolescent – a person up to the age of 19 (as defined by the UN)7

Chatroom – a location online that allows multiple users to communicate electronically with each other in real time, as opposed to delayed time with e-mail2

Child sexual exploitation – child coerced to take part in sexual activity in exchange for something (ex: food, drugs, affection, gifts)7

Cyberbullies/cyberbullying – willful and repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic communication.

Deepfake – using artificial intelligence to manufacture realistic (often sexually explicit) videos of someone

Disclosure – when a child informs someone that harassment or abuse has occurred5

Dissociation – symptom of trauma that involves separation from main body of consciousness5

 

DM/DM’s – A way of describing direct messaging. A private message on a social media platform.

 

Doxxing – exposing a person’s address, phone, and/or other sensitive information online for purposes of harassment and stalking

Duty to report – anyone with reasonable suspicions that a child is in need of protection must report it to a child protection service4

Flashback – sudden, vivid memory of a traumatic event5

Grooming – when a perpetrator builds rapport or promotes certain behaviours, with the intention of sexually abusing the child in the future5

Harassment – conduct intended to violate the dignity of a person (purpose), or can be interpreted as offensive or intimidating (effect)professional sexual exploitation – sexual actions by professionals and volunteers within a helping relationship7

Intimate violence – violence committed by someone familiar to the victim5

Juvenile sex offender – a person under the age of 18 who under their national law been convicted of sexual offenses7

Minor – every human under the age of eighteen-years unless under applicable law to the person, majority is attained earlier7

Online enticement of children – communicating with someone believed to be a child through the internet, with the intent of online exploitation7

Online Luring – a situation where an individual communicates with a young person through technology (texting, IM, SMS, etc.) to make it easier to commit a specific sexual offence against that young person3

Resilience – ability to recover from trauma. Having just a few healthy relationships greatly increases resilience-building potential5

Sexting – cell phone, computer and other mobile device users – often teens and ‘tweens’ – create and exchange provocative messages and nude, sexual images of themselves using their cell phone’s built-in digital camera and text messaging capabilities2

Catfishing – using a fake profile or pretending to be someone else (or both) to get a target to share personal information or become romantically involved2

Sextortion – using sexual images to blackmail, humiliate, or get revenge on someone2

Sex tourism – sexual exploitation (often involving children) in the context of travel and tourism1

Stranger Danger – a phrase popularized by PSA’s in the 1980s. There has been a conscious shift away from this term to discourage children to blindly trust adults they somewhat know5

Pedophile – person with primary or exclusive sexual preference to prepubescent children, distinguished from child sexual abuser, who have acted on their preferences6

Survivor – a term used instead of victim to promote resilience. Only use this language after an individual self-identifies with this word7

Text bombing – sending a large number of text messages to a person at one time so that they can’t use their device8

Victim – an individual who has experienced violence or trauma. Only use this language after an individual self-identifies with this word. see: survivor7

Victim identification – detailed analysis of images and videos to locate and rescue child sexual abuse victims, particularly relevant in online child abuse7

 

 

  1. “Appropriate Terminology.” Interpol, Accessed 20 March 2021.
  2. “Glossary of terms.” eSafety Commissioner, Accessed 20 March 2021.
  3. Moss, Stephanie. “Sexual exploitation and Trafficking of Children and Youth in Canada.” Children of the Street, Accessed 20 March 2021.
  4. “Reporting child abuse and neglect.” Ontario Ministry of Children, 13 June 2019.
  5. “Secret Survivors.” Ping Chong and Company, Accessed 20 March 2021.
  6. “Terminology.” ATSA. Accessed 20 March 2021.
  7. “Terminology Guidelines for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse.” Interagency Working Group on Sexual Exploitation of Children, 28 Jan. 2016.
  8. “Text Bomb: What Parents Should Know About This Cyberbullying Sidekick.” Visions Treatment Centers, 14 July 2020, visionsteen.com/text-bomb-parents-cyberbullying-sidekick.
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Slang / Drug Terms / Emojis

 

🌿, 🍁, 🎄, 🍃, 🥦, 🍀, 🌴,💨, 🔥— Marijuana

💉,🐉,🐎 ,🎯,🤎— Heroin

❄️, 🥥,🤧, 🔑,⛄,🎱, 🐡 —  Cocaine

🍼,🍇 ,💜,🔮  — Cough syrup

🍬, ❤⚡,🤯,   ❌, 🍬, ❤️ — MDMA

🍄  — Psilocybin or “magic” mushrooms

🗿 — Stoned

💎, 🏔,  💙, 🧪 — Crystal meth

🚌,🍫, 💊 — Xanax

💊 , 🅿️, 🔵 , 🍌— Can be used to mean prescription pills, drugs in general, or oxycodone

🔌  — A plug, i.e., a drug dealer or someone who can “hook you up” with contraband

🤑, 💰, 💵, 👑 — drug deal advertising

💨, 🚬  — Smoking a joint

⚗️ — Used to indicate a bong

🚀 — Can mean high-quality or being very intoxicated

⛽  — Gassed, i.e., intoxicated. Can also refer to high-quality marijuana

🔥 — To “blaze” a joint or to be “lit,” meaning intoxicated

🥧 , 🍪 — A large amount of drugs

 

Common Drug Terms

Cart — Cartridge for a vaporizer

Dabbing — A way to inhale concentrated cannabis oil by dropping some on a hot surface and letting it vaporize

Gas — Marijuana

Hulk — A 2-mg generic benzodiazepine bar

Pen — Vape for weed or tobacco; uses cartridges

Plug — Dealer

School bus — A 2-mg Xanax bar

Special K — Ketamine

Snow — Cocaine

Yayo — Cocaine

Zaza or za— Marijuana

 

Text Slang / Every parent of teen should know these

  • AF — As f**k
  • A mood — A relatable feeling or situation (often shortened to the single word, “mood”)
  • And I oop — Used when something is really surprising or provocative
  • And that’s on [something] — Used to indicate that you’ve just shared a truth that needs no further discussion
  • ASL — Age/sex/location
  • Bae — Significant other or crush
  • Basic — Someone who is viewed as boring or a conforming person
  • Beige flag — A quality or characteristic of a significant other that is weird or off-putting, but not enough to reject them. 
  • Bet — A response indicating agreement. Example: “Wanna go to the store?” “Bet.”
  • Bestie — “Best friend”; can also be used as a kind of formal address to a stranger.
  • Bih — Short form of b*tch
  • Body count — The number of people someone has slept with
  • Bruh — “Bro”; can be used to address anybody
  • BTS — A Korean boy band popular with tweens and teens
  • Bussin’ — Awesome. Example: These tacos are bussin’.
  • Cake — Used to describe a large bottom
  • Canon event — A moment in development that will help shape your life or personality.
  • Cappin’ — Lying
  • CEO of [something] — To be a representative of some activity or thing. Example: “Taylor is the CEO of sleeping in late.”
  • Cheugy — Used to describe someone or something that is basic, out of date, or trying too hard
  • Cursed — Used to describe something (usually an online image) that is unsettling or creepy
  • Cringe — Causing feelings of embarrassment or awkwardness
  • Daddy — An attractive man, usually older, who conveys a sense of power and dominance
  • Ded — Used when something is really funny or embarrassing. Example: OMG that meme has me ded!
  • Dope — A way to describe something as cool or awesome
  • Drip — Style, great fashion sense, flashy accessories
  • DTF — Down to f*ck
  • Egirl / Eboy — A young person with emo-inspired, punk-rock style
  • Facts — An emphatic way to acknowledge the truth of someone’s statement
  • Fam — Friends
  • FBOI — F**k boy; a guy just looking for sex
  • FINSTA — Fake Instagram account
  • FOMO — Fear of missing out
  • Fire — Amazing
  • FWB — Friends with benefits
  • Gas — Can refer to marijuana, be used to describe something that’s cool, or be used as a verb to mean “hype someone up”
  • Ghosted — Ending a relationship by completely disappearing with no further communication
  • Goals — Something you want or aspire to
  • GOAT — Greatest of all time
  • GTG — Got to go
  • Gucci — Something good or cool
  • GYAT — 1. Acronym that stands for “get your act together”. 2. Shortened term for “godd**n” used to express approval or excitement.
  • Hentai — Graphic anime pornography
  • High key — 1. Very interested in 2. Actively spreading information
  • Hits different — When something is better than it normally is because of different circumstances. Example: “A cold soda just hits different when it’s super hot outside.”
  • Ick or Ick Factor — The feeling you get when your attraction to someone is suddenly flipped to a feeling of disgust.
  • ISO — In search of
  • IYKYK — “If you know you know”; meant to imply that there’s an inside joke
  • Juul — Type of e-cigarette that is small and discreet; ‘pods’ are used for smoking
  • Karen  — Used to refer to an entitled mom
  • KMS — Kill myself
  • KYS — Kill yourself
  • Left no crumbs — A phrase that means you did something perfectly.
  • Lit/Turnt/Turnt Up — Something that’s active or popular, can also refer to being stoned or drunk
  • LMAO — Laughing my ass off
  • LMP — 1. A term that means “like my pic” or 2. Sometimes stands for “lick my p***y”
  • LOL — Laugh out loud
  • Low key — 1. Somewhat interested in 2. Keeping information secret
  • Meal — Someone who looks good enough to eat. See also: “Snack” or “snacc”
  • Mid — Insult meaning “low quality” or “average.” Derives from “mid-tier”— not awful, but not great. Example: “The new Jurassic Park was mid.”
  • Netflix and chill — Getting together and hooking up
  • No cap — Used to indicate that someone is not lying
  • NP — No problem
  • OFC — Short for “of course”
  • OK, Boomer — Calling out an idea that is outdated or resistant to change
  • OMFG — Oh my f**king god
  • Plug — Term used to refer to someone who can “connect” you with drugs; a drug dealer.
  • PMOYS — Acronym that stands for “put me on your Snapchat”
  • Rizz — Derived from “charisma.” Someone who has “game” when it comes to romantic pursuits. Example: “Taylor has that rizz, they’re so charming.”
  • ROTFLMAO — Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off
  • Salty — To be bitter or cranky about something
  • Same  — “I can relate”
  • Shading — Where teens gossip about another party without naming them; also “throw shade” means to talk about someone
  • Ship — Short for “relationship”; also used as a verb to indicate a desire to see two people together. Ex.: I ship Taylor and Jamie.
  • Simp —Somebody who tries very hard and does a lot for their crush. Ex.: “You got Sarah 3 dozen roses? Stop being such a simp.”
  • Sis — Short for “sister” but can be used to address anybody; usually used to express that drama has occurred
  • Skeet — To ejaculate
  • Slaps— Used to express that something is awesome. Ex.: “This burrito slaps.”
  • Smash — Means to have casual sex
  • SMDH — Shaking my damn head
  • SMH — “Shaking my head,” meaning “I don’t believe it” or “that’s so dumb”
  • Snack — Describes an attractive person
  • Snapstreak — Created when friends send snaps every day, creating a streak
  • Snatched — On point, very good, or well styled
  • Spam — A fake social media account
  • Squad — Close friend group
  • Stan — A teen slang term meaning an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity
  • STFU — Short for “shut the f**k up,” can be used as an expression of disbelief or to cyberbully
  • Sus — Short for “suspicious.” Popularized by the Among Us game.
  • Swoop — To be picked up in an automobile
  • TBH — To be honest
  • Tea — Gossip or interesting news shared between friends
  • Thicc — Having an attractive, curvy body
  • TF — The f**k, as in “who TF you think are?”
  • Thirsty — Desperate for attention, usually sexual attention
  • Thot — Stands for “that ho over there” and is often used instead of “slut”
  • Trash — “Terrible,” “unacceptable
  • Turnt — Excited and having a good time, often with the help of drugs or alcohol
  • V — “Very”
  • Vibing — Chilling out, having a good time, or identifying with a certain kind of energy
  • VSCO girl — A style characterized by Hydro Flasks, Crocs, and scrunchies
  • WAP — Wet ass p*ssy
  • Woke — Socially or politically conscious
  • WTF — What the f**k?
  • WYA — Where you at?
  • WYD — What you doing?
  • YAAS — A very emphatic yes
  • YEET — 1. A very strong word for yes. 2. To throw something.
  • Zaddy — A well-dressed, attractive man of any age
LESS COMMON TERMS:
  • 420 — Marijuana reference
  • 11:11 — Popular time to make a wish
  • ASB — As balls. Example: I’m high asb.
  • Chad — A hyper-sexual young man
  • Chill — Relaxed or laid back
  • Coney — Slang for “penis”
  • CYA — “Cover your ass” or “see ya”
  • Dabbing — Refers to concentrated doses of cannabis; also a dance craze
  • Dongle — Slang for “penis”
  • HEAF — An acronym for “High Expectations Asian Father”
  • Hulk — A 2mg generic benzodiazepine bar, which is green
  • ILY — I love you
  • IRL — In real life
  • JK — Just kidding
  • OKURRR — Variation of “OKAY” made popular by rapper Cardi B who defines it as something that is said to affirm when someone is being put in their place
  • School Bus — A 2mg Xanax bar, which is yellow
  • SH — Sh** happens
  • SUFF — An acronym meaning “Shut up, f**k face”
  • Spam — A fake social media account
  • TDTM — Talk dirty to me
  • WUF — Where you from?

Popular slang Emojis

  1. 🍆 — Penis
  2. 🥴 — Used to express drunkenness, sexual arousal, or a grimace
  3. 🍑 — Butt
  4. 🥵 — Means “hot” in a sexual sense; a kid might comment this on their crush’s Instagram selfie, for example
  5. 🚛 — “Dump truck,” which refers to a large and/or shapely bottom
  6. 🌮 — Vagina
  7. 🙃 — Used to express annoyance about something
  8. 🤡 — Used when getting caught in a mistake or when feeling like a fraud
  9. 👻 — Indicates being “ghosted” (dumped with no explanation)
  10. 🧢 — Symbolizes a lie, which could also be called a “cap”
  11. 👉👈 — Shy, nervous (usually in the context of flirting)
  12. 🧿 — Represents warding off the “evil eye”
  13. 🧠 — Oral sex
  14. 💦 — Ejaculation
  15. 👅 — May indicate sexual activity, especially oral sex
  16. ⏳ — Used when someone has an “hourglass” body shape
  17. 🥶 — Often used in response to a snarky or “savage” comment (as in, “That was cold”
  18. 😈 — Feeling frisky or naughty
  19. 👁️ 👄 👁️ — A response that means, “It is what it is”
  20.  🧚‍♀️✨— Can be used in comments to denote a sarcastic, mean-spirited tone
  21. 🍃 — Emoji slang for Marijuana/weed
  22. 🤤 — Desiring someone sexually (often used in response to nudes)
  23. 🍒 — Breasts/testicles/virginity
  24. 🍝 — Represents nudes, which are often called “noods”
  25. 👀 — Used when sending or receiving nudes
  26. 💳 — Often used on TikTok to express wanting something portrayed in the video
  27. 💯 — A stamp of approval; “I agree”
  28. 🔨 — Used to refer to sexual activity
  29. 🌶️ — Indicates “spiciness,” i.e., inappropriate or risque content
  30. 🌽 — Represents “porn,” especially on TikTok
 
Sexualized emojis and terms
  • Smash — Means to have casual sex
  • Thirsty — Desperate for sexual attention; horny
  • Sneaky link — Term for someone you’re hooking up with on the sly
  • Clapping cheeks — Having sex
  • GYAT — A shortened term for “godd**n” used
    to express approval or excitement. Often it’s used in response to
    seeing a girl that one finds attractive (particularly with a curvy
    body).
  • 🍝 — Represents nudes, which are often called “noods”
  • 👀 — Used when sending or receiving nudes
  • 🥵 —  Means “hot” in a sexual sense; a teen might comment this on a crush’s TikTok, for example
  • 🤤  — Desiring someone sexually (often used in response to nudes)
  • 👉👈 — Shy, nervous (usually in the context of flirting)
  • 😈 — Feeling naughty or frisky
  • 🍑 — Butt
  • 🍆 — Penis
  • 🍌 — Penis
  • 🌮 — Vagina
  • 😼 —  Vagina
  • 🚛 — “Dump truck,” which refers to a large and/or shapely bottom
  • 💦 — To ejaculate
  • 🥜 — To ejaculate
  • 🧠 — Oral sex
  • ⭕ 💢 — Oral sex
  • 🌽 — Means “porn” and is used because porn rhymes with corn. It may also be simply spelled out as “corn.” See also: corn star, corn industry. 
  • ⬛️ 🟧 — Refers to Pornhub
  • P ⭐️ — Represents “porn star”
  • S 🥚 s — “Sex”
  • Seggs — Alternate spelling of “sex”
  • Leg booty — Refers to LGTBQ
  • Nip nops — Nipples
  • Spicy eggplant — Vibrator
  • Accountant
    — Code word for being a sex worker or OnlyFans creator. Originates from
    the fact that people don’t ask follow-up questions when you say you
    have a steady, boring job like an accountant.
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