A glossary of acronyms and emojis used by child predators has been produced as a useful online safety tool to help educate parents and carers about the tactics of child sexual predators, who often use codes or emojis to escape adult detection. The glossary was produced from information contained in investigations and reports by the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) and child protection teams across Australia.
The glossary has been compiled in response to a growing trend of ‘self-produced’ child exploitation material. Children and young people with their own tablets and smartphones can find themselves on the receiving end of unsolicited coercion by adults or peers to take naked pictures of themselves, and then send those images via email or text.
Photos like these, which are often being posted online without the knowledge or permission of the victim, are also being identified in child abuse material held by child sex offenders and are very hard to contain once they have been sent. The damage and stigma caused can be life-long as I frequently caution children and young people when I talk to them in schools.
Acronyms and slang
Parents need to know about the following terms when checking their child’s device for evidence of concerning communications.
Catch a case | Willingness to being arrested and charged for something, often used in relation to sexual desire for someone who is much younger/under age. |
CD9 or Code 9 | Parents are around. |
DNI | Do not interact, especially as a warning of explicit/sexual content for under 18s. |
DM;HS | Doesn’t matter; had sex. |
DPW | D*** pictures welcome. |
Down in the DM | Using private messages (DM=Direct Message) on social media to ask for nude photos and/or to filter through people to find a sexual encounter. |
GNRN | Get Naked Right Now. |
GNOC | Get Naked On Camera. |
LMIRL | Let’s meet in real life. |
LMP | Like my pic. |
NIFOC | Naked in front of computer. |
NP4NP | Naked Pic For Naked Pic. |
P911 | Parent Alert. |
PIR | Parent in room. |
POS | Parent Over Shoulder. |
POV | Point of view, and often indicates that a video is supposed to be filmed as if you’re seeing through someone else’s eyes. |
Rule 34 | Any topic can be made into pornographic content. |
Snacc/Snack | A person you find attractive. |
Sneaky Link | Seeing someone for sex but you want to keep the relationship quiet. |
Smash | To have casual sex. |
TDTM | Talk dirty to me. |
1174 | Nude club. |
143 | I love you. |
9 | Parent watching. |
Parents should also be aware of the potential meanings of the following emojis which can also be used to evade detection;
🌽 | Porn (rhymes with corn), can be used to get around word restrictions on social media |
🍑 | Bottom |
😈 | Feeling frisky or naughty |
🤤 | Desiring someone sexually (often used in response to nudes) |
🍜 | Nudes, which are often called “noods” |
👀 | Used when sending or receiving nudes |
🔨 | Sexual activity |
🌶 | Spiciness eg inappropriate or risqué content |
🐙 | Cuddles |
🥴 | Drunkenness, sexual arousal, or a grimace |
None of these terms or emojis are exhaustive as many terms and emojis can be used in many different ways and ‘alternative’ meanings of emojis can fall in and out of use. However, communication which contains multiple examples of codes or emojis contained in these lists should certainly give cause for concern.
Online safety tips for parents and carers
- Keep your child’s personal information, including full name and age, completely private
- Ensure any photos or videos posted online don’t give away your address or location, (and don’t post your location or ‘check in’ at locations on social media)
- Specifically avoid posting photos in school uniform
- Only share images of your children with people you know and trust
Reporting child abuse online
To report child abuse online, or any concerns, the following may be useful
In the USA – to report online child sexual exploitation, use the Cyber Tip Line or call 1-800-843-5678.
In Canada – use Cybertip.ca, Canada’s national tip line for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children.
In the UK – to make a report about suspected child abuse material or suspicious sexual contact between an adult and a child, contact your local police force and provide full details of the incident. Contact information at https://www.police.uk/contact/ or by calling 101.
In Australia – online child sexual exploitation can be reported to the ACCCE or by calling Crime stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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