If parents need any more proof that social networking is here to stay, they can just open up The Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Dictionary editors recently added 400 new words to the latest edition, including “retweet,” “sexting” and “cyberbullying.” The 12th edition of this time-honored publication clearly recognizes the impact that social media and technology have had on the English language, represented by these words that, just a few years ago, no one would have been able to clearly define.

The definitions for these new words are as follows:

Retweet (verb): (on the social networking service Twitter) report or forward (a message posted by another user)

Sexting (noun): the sending of sexually explicit photographs or messages via mobile phone

Cyberbullying (noun): the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature

While the definitions are brief and don’t quite capture the complexities of many instances that could be defined using these words, it is still extremely significant that they were added to the dictionary. By including them, those involved with the newest edition of the dictionary say they are proving their “commitment to setting out new meanings for words.” Social media and social networking are still changing and evolving and it’s important for parents to stay up to date on the latest trends, dangers, innovations and tech terms, whether they are included in the dictionary or not.

Is there any lingo your teens use that you don’t know the meaning of? How do you stay educated on the latest online trends and issues?