We need to do the same thing for children with digital uses,' Bason says. 'We teach our kids to look both ways when they cross the street. In recent years, the problem of teen suicide has taken on a new dimension in part due to the proliferation of technology. “The stakes are high, and today’s parents need new ways to safeguard their teens from the harmful side effects of online interaction,” says Brian Bason, CEO of Bark, a safety app parents and teens download that monitors sites and services teens use for red flag words and the context they're using them in.Īccording to the National Institute of Mental Health, suicide is the second leading cause of deaths for young adults and adults ages 15 to 34. Some strange texting lingo might double as code for suicidal thoughts, bullying, sex and drugs.
While most of these terms are completely innocent, some child safety experts warn there can be more than meets the eye with texting codes. If you ever look at what they’re actually doing on there, you’ll likely see a lot of innocent “ Snapstreaking,” some funny Buzzfeed videos and a bunch of letters and numbers that look like some kind of modern-day shorthand. If your teen has a smartphone, chances are they spend several hours a day on text and social media.
