10 text codes every parent should know

SAN ANTONIO – In this age of digital technology there are many concerns for teenagers, including cyber predators, identity theft and now sexting.

But what may appear to be benign discussions between teens could actually be imbedded with sexting talk.

A recent study by the Education Development Center in Massachusetts finds that 13 percent of high school students have received sext messages and one in 10 has sent, posted or forwarded sexually suggestive or explicit photos or videos of people they know.

That information is courtesy of Merlyn Horton, the executive director and founder of Safe OnLine Outreach Society. She says what may be a bid for privacy, could get them in big trouble. 

A picture that reveals genitalia or the anal region could be a serious crime.

"It will be child pornography. If they email it to their boyfriend, they've distributed child pornography. So the consequences for these actions is much more drastic than it ever was for mooning or flashing trucks," Horton said.

So what may seem like a prank or private joke is not. 

That's where the codes come in. Teenagers have their own language that could be the warning sign of potential dangerous activity if picked up early enough.

Horton says the 10 codes you should know are:

She said others to know would be TDTM, or "talk dirty to me," and DUM, "do you masturbate?"

Horton says this "unprotected sext" can be circumvented to a degree with parental involvement. 

Instead of snooping, she recommends you have a frank, values-based discussion with your child as early as seven years of age about digital technology and the parameters to communicate. 

After that, join his or her conversation.

"The parent in on the Facebook page, they are friends with their friends on their profile pages, or they text their young person back and forth," suggests Horton.

Doing so will put the parent in the environment in which they are experiences the risks and they are able to role model appropriate conduct for their kids.