POS Meaning in Gen Z Slang – Guide for Parents

Children and teenagers spend a lot of time online nowadays, so it is not surprising that they are developing a special slang their parents are not familiar with. Many parents wonder about GTG meaning or what their children want to say, writing “tnx” to their friends on Instagram or Facebook. Although adults may sometimes be terrified of the new lexis emerging from the younger communities, scientists who dive into this topic to research it usually claim that it is a natural process and such slang is mostly connected with expressing emotions or creating an atmosphere corresponding to the moment.

The thing we are going to discuss today, as part of our literacy program for modern parents, is POS meaning in slang. Children and teenagers may use this expression in chats and conversations with or without negative context, depending on the situation. Still, it is our parental responsibility to check these situations and always be ready to react when anything goes wrong (or there is a tiny hint of a problem). 

What Does POS Mean in Text? POS Origins

The POS slang meaning comes from the far and old times – the end of the last century. At the end of the 1990s, when Internet chatrooms were gaining popularity (if you are a parent reading this text now, you should probably remember those), children had to constantly invent something to overcome existing limitations and solve arising problems. Mainly, there were 2: symbol limits for messages and parents not familiar with the concept of online privacy yet.

We will begin discussing these reasons in reverse order. What does POS mean in text? Imagine you are chatting with your friends on ICQ or in the chat room, discussing studies, plans for the evening, a classmate you like, etc., and suddenly, one of your parents enters the room and approaches your screen. What to do? How do you secretly inform your friend that all the serious conversations should be stopped immediately and all the mysteries should be preserved? This is where the POS meaning in slang comes in handy. POS means “parents over shoulder”. While for unprepared adults, it looks like an unknown word, those who need it will understand it and stop all the important conversations immediately.

The POS slang meaning was expanding over time, gaining new connotations, mainly in the more adult-centered spheres of life, but with one exception, guess which:

• POS as Point of Sail: used in businesses where a lot of transactions often happen;
• POS as Point of Service: used in healthcare and insurance;
• POS as Piece of Sh**t: used in any suitable situation.

We are sure you guessed right. Nevertheless, despite such a variety of meanings, “Parent over shoulder” is still the most popular POS slang meaning used by teenagers in chats and messages even nowadays. Understanding its meaning correctly and on time can help you as a parent to understand the situation properly and react if needed. Thus, let’s get to the more detailed explanations and examples of the POS meaning in slang.

POS Slang Meaning: Negative Term

The most negative POS meaning in slang is “piece of sh**t”. However, there is no need to get instantly alarmed when you see it in your son’s or daughter’s chat or hear them using it on the phone. Children often use swearing words and expressions when communicating with their friends just to seem cool or to copy famous movie characters. Thus, you can, of course, have a serious conversation with them about proper speech and inappropriate lexis, but it is better not to overreact.

Examples:

• “You’re late again, you POS!” (used jokingly among friends)
• “You tricked me, you POS!” (directed at someone who may have wronged them)
• “You promised to help me, but you ditched me. You’re such a POS!” (frustration)
• “Stop spreading lies about me, you POS!” (anger)

However, what does POS mean in text if you see that your child is arguing with someone? Whoever the other person is, it means that your kid is angry. It may be a simple quarrel with a friend, which is more or less fine because that is how children learn to communicate and coexist with each other. However, they may also have gotten into trouble with someone on the internet – cheaters, fraudsters, impersonators, and require your parental assistance, even if they do not understand it at the moment. Should you get in such a situation, POS meaning in slang is “help me, although I am too stubborn or arrogant to ask you directly, and may even not accept your help at the start”.

POS Meaning: Related to Parents

What does POS mean on social media if you see your child using it in a conversation without any argument in it? First of all, similarly as in the case with sneaky link meaning, they are most probably hiding something from you. No matter what it actually is, it is a bad thing if you want to build your relationship with your child on trust. They may be planning a party where you do not allow them to go, but they still intend to visit it. Alternatively, they might be discussing problems at school with their peers or bad marks. In any case, as a parent, you most probably would like to know this POS meaning in slang, what is going on, and why your child does not want to discuss it while “parents over shoulder”.

What does POS mean in text when you see that your teenage child is talking to their partner? We do not want to scare you, but it can easily be something connected to their sexual life, contraception, or even unplanned pregnancy. Even if you have always been building your relationships on trust and openly discussing everything, at a certain age, children start separating from their parents and, consequently, become more sneaky and withdrawn. That is why it is always important to pay attention to such things as POS slang meaning, OTP meaning, or HMU meaning in your child’s conversations.

Know If Your Teen Uses POS Slang in Their Messages

Every parent will agree that it is impossible to always be near your child and monitor everything they do, say, or text. However, is it? If you know POS meaning in slang, you can check your teen’s conversations when you need them and start acting if you find it appropriate. uMobix text message tracker can help you with that. After you install it on your child’s device, you can:

• anonymously and secretly review all the SMS messages they send and receive;
• view deleted texts and timestamps;
• evaluate what does POS mean in text and even understand their emoji slang if you are familiar with it.

Moreover, uMobix also lets you check their social media, such as Instagram and Facebook. What does POS mean on social media is not a question for you anymore: you are already savvy in all such things. Thus, you can easily evaluate if the POS meaning in slang they use is just to seem cooler or because your teen is really angry about something and has potentially gotten into trouble.

To use uMobix, you do not need to be near your child all the time. Install it on their device and get back to your business. Whenever needed, you can access your online profile and review everything you need without bothering them. We only encourage you not to overuse the app and give children some space; remember, uMobix is a parental control, not a stalking app, so do not make the POS meaning in slang literal.

Conclusion

Internet slang is interesting and useful. If you understand it, you can get a better insight into your teen’s life and give them more parental care when you feel they need it without even being directly asked and before something bad happens. With uMobix, you won’t have to guess. Think of it as a way to stay in the loop without hovering over their shoulder. Knowing POS meaning in slang, you can understand when children hide something from you and when there is trouble brewing, and thus, you can plan your actions and decide on the best way to help or interfere.