Parents are being told to get net-savvy and learn some of the most popular internet jargon so they can keep up with their kids.

We’ve tested mums and dads on some of the frequently-used online acronyms – and most couldn’t identify ones that warn other teenagers that adults were watching like POS, PAW and PIR.

The jargon most parents know is LOL – Laugh Out Loud – with 90 per cent in our survey correctly identifying what it meant.

But just 13 per cent correctly identified PAW – which means Parents Are Watching – and is used in internet chatrooms and instant messaging to warn that an adult is nearby.

Just under half – 49 per cent – could work out what ROFL meant. If you don’t know, it’s Roll On the Floor Laughing.

BRB – or Be Right Back – was another one parents could understand, with 70 per cent correctly identifying it.

But there’s concern that less than a quarter (24 per cent) knew PIR meant Parent In Room and just 17 per cent knew POS meant Parent Over Shoulder.

Sue Woolmore from the NSPCC said: “One of the best ways for parents to learn about the internet is actually through the internet itself.

“There are some excellent websites out there like www.thinkuknow.co.uk and that’s got fantastic information for parents and teenagers.

“The message to parents is find out what you need to know and then you’ll understand what your young people are saying.”

And why not take our Websafe quiz to see how much you really know.

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