THE SAPS have sent out a warning to the public about the dangers of what is known as ‘sexting’. They define sexting as the act of sending a picture or yourself naked or semi-naked by using electronic means. It also involves sending flirtatious or sexual messages to others, often using acronyms and abbreviations.

On their Facebook page, the police said: “Sexually-explicit photographs and videos of minors under the age of 18 may be classified as child pornography.”

They added that the taker of the image, the recipient and anyone who shares the content, may be charged with crimes relating to child pornography – even if they are under the age of 18.
The police statement went on to say that sexting or flirtatious messages are common in text messaging and teenagers often use acronyms to hide what they are saying from parents:

PAW: Parents are watching
PIR: Parents in room
POS: Parent over shoulder
(L) MIRL: (Let us) meet in real life
MOS: Mom over shoulder
P911: Parent emergency

Go to www.saps.gov.za to educate yourself on the more sexually explicit examples of acronyms used by predators and unsuspecting teenagers.