Should I worry if my child uses slang like KMS?

Usually it is dark humour between friends rather than a genuine statement. Context is everything: said casually about a bad test it is teen hyperbole, but appearing alongside low mood, withdrawal or bullying it deserves a real conversation the same day. When unsure, ask calmly rather than panicking.

Should I confront my child about slang I have seen in their messages?

Curiosity works better than confrontation. Most slang is harmless identity-building, and treating it as evidence tends to close doors. Save the direct conversation for the genuine warning signs: strangers asking to meet, requests for images, or drug-supply language.

How often does teen slang change?

Constantly: half of it will be embarrassing to teens within a year, which is part of the point of slang. This page is reviewed quarterly, and the safety-relevant terms (grooming and drug language) change far more slowly than the playground ones.

Parents' decoder

What does that actually mean?

Teen slang, decoded calmly. Most of it is harmless identity-building. A small amount is worth recognising, and this page is honest about which is which.

Search a term

Everyday

Rizz: Charisma, especially the ability to charm a romantic interest. "He's got rizz" is a compliment.
GYAT: An exclamation about someone's (usually a woman's) figure, from "goddamn". Objectifying in origin, mostly used as a daft catchphrase by younger kids.
Bet: Agreement or acceptance: "OK", "deal", "sounds good".
Cap / No cap: Cap means a lie. "No cap" means "honestly, no exaggeration".
Sus: Suspicious or untrustworthy.
Mid: Mediocre, average, unimpressive. A casual insult for anything.
Slay: Doing something impressively well. High praise.
Ate: Did something so well they "ate that". Also "left no crumbs": did it perfectly.
Bussin: Really good, usually about food.
FR / ONG: "For real" and "on God": both mean "genuinely" or "I agree".
Lowkey / Highkey: Lowkey means slightly or secretly ("lowkey tired"). Highkey means very much and openly.
Deadass: Completely serious. "I'm deadass" means "I'm not joking".
Cooked: In trouble, exhausted or done for: "I'm cooked". To "cook" is the opposite: doing something brilliantly ("let him cook" means let him carry on).
NPC: Someone acting robotically or without independent thought, from "non-player character" in games. An insult.
Brainrot: Content so mindless it "rots your brain", or the state of having watched too much of it. Often self-aware and joking.
Skibidi: Nonsense word from a YouTube series (Skibidi Toilet). Means good, bad or nothing at all; younger children find it hilarious. Genuinely harmless.
Ohio: Weird, cursed or off-putting, from a meme that odd things happen in Ohio.
Sigma: A supposedly self-reliant "lone wolf" male, from online masculinity content. Often used jokingly, but see looksmaxxing below for the serious end.
Aura: Someone's cool factor. Doing something embarrassing "loses aura points".
Era: A phase of life: "in my revision era". From pop culture, harmless.
Delulu: Delusional, usually joking about unrealistic hopes: "delulu is the solulu".
Ick: A sudden turn-off about someone they fancied: "he gave me the ick".
Fanum tax: Playfully stealing a bit of a friend's food, from a streamer's running joke.
Glaze: To praise someone excessively or suck up to them.
Ratio: On social media, when a reply gets more likes than the original post: a public loss.
Touch grass: "Go outside, you've been online too long." An insult with, honestly, some wisdom in it.

People & drama

W / L: Win and loss. "That's a W" is approval; "took the L" means lost or embarrassed.
GOAT: Greatest of all time. High praise.
Simp: Someone seen as trying too hard to please someone they fancy. Used teasingly, can be used to bully.
Pick me: Someone (usually a girl) seen as putting others down to win approval, especially from boys.
Karen: An entitled, demanding adult, usually a woman making a scene.
Salty: Bitter or resentful about a loss or slight.
Beef: An ongoing argument or feud: "they have beef".
Opps: Opponents or enemies. In most playgrounds it just means rivals or people they dislike; in some contexts it refers to rival gangs.
Mog: To look noticeably better than someone, from "AMOG" (alpha male of the group). Appearance-comparison culture; see looksmaxxing.

Worth a conversation

Not emergencies: these are the terms where knowing the meaning helps you have a better conversation.

Situationship: A romantic relationship without labels or commitment. Worth knowing the emotional weather if your teen mentions one.
Sneaky link: Meeting someone secretly, usually romantically. The secrecy is the point, which is why it is worth a gentle conversation.
Body count: The number of people someone has slept with. Common in teen banter; worth knowing what is being asked when it appears.
Thirst trap: A photo posted to attract romantic or sexual attention.
Looksmaxxing / Mewing: Online content about "maximising" appearance, from grooming tips to jaw exercises (mewing) and worse. The mild end is harmless; the deep end feeds body anxiety and links to toxic masculinity content.
Gooning: Extended pornography use, treated as a joke word by teens. Its casual use signals how normalised porn talk is in some peer groups: a conversation topic, not a punishment one.
304: Spells "hoe" upside down on a calculator. A derogatory label for (usually) girls; worth challenging if you see it used.

Warning signs

The small set genuinely worth recognising. Context still matters, and our grooming guide and sextortion guide cover what to actually do.

KMS / KYS: "Kill myself" / "kill yourself". Usually dark humour between friends, but never assume: said seriously or received as bullying it matters. If it appears alongside low mood, take it seriously and talk today.
Unalive: Death or suicide, phrased to dodge content filters. Same guidance as KMS: usually casual, sometimes not.
POS: "Parent over shoulder": a warning that a parent is watching the chat. A signal the conversation changes when you appear.
ASL: "Age, sex, location?" A stranger asking this of your child is a textbook grooming opener.
LMIRL: "Let's meet in real life." From anyone your child does not know offline, this is the line that should reach you immediately.
GNOC: "Get naked on camera." A solicitation; if it has been sent to your child, see our sextortion guidance and report it.
Plug: A supplier, typically of drugs ("got a plug").
Zaza / Gas / Loud: Cannabis.
Lean: A codeine-based drink mix, glamorised in some music.
Snow / Skiing: Cocaine and using it.

Emoji with a second meaning

Most emoji mean exactly what they look like. These are the ones with a documented second life, and context decides which meaning applies.

💀: Dying of laughter. The new 😂, which teens consider old.
🔥: Excellent, or attractive.
🐐: GOAT: greatest of all time.
🧢: Cap: a lie. "That's 🧢" means "you're lying".
✨: Emphasis, often sarcastic: "I'm ✨thriving✨".
🚩: Red flag: warning sign about a person.
👻: Ghosted (ignored), or Snapchat.
🤡: Foolish; being played for a fool.
🍑 🍆 💦: Sexual: bum, penis, arousal. In a teen's chat with someone you do not know, a flag.
🍃 🌿: Cannabis, in the right (wrong) context. Also, sometimes, just a plant.
❄️ 🎿: Cocaine ("snow", "skiing") in drug contexts.
💊: Pills; in party contexts, MDMA.
🔌: A "plug": someone who can supply something, typically drugs.
🔞: Adult content marker.

Before you quote any of this at your teenager

Slang exists partly so adults will not understand it, and using it back at them is famously fatal to its coolness. The point of this page is not surveillance vocabulary: it is that when you see something in a group chat, you can tell the difference between daft playground noise and the handful of terms that deserve a calm, same-day conversation.

Grooming warning signs Check an app's age rating

Last updated: August 2026. Reviewed quarterly, because half of this will be embarrassingly out of date by then, which is how slang works.