Since so much written language we see today comes from a glowing screen, language has begun to change through our interaction with technology. Social media and the Internet have had a rapid and great effect on the English language, and not necessarily for the better. More and more people have found themselves writing in pieces of words and using unclear acronyms(单词首字母) both in written and spoken language.

How many times have you typed “LOL” in response to a humorous message? Referred to someone as your “BFF”? Exclaimed, “OMG!” during a particularly shocking event? Social media has affected the words we use in our everyday life. Abbreviations and acronyms commonly known as “text talk” have made their way into both spoken and written language. These are becoming increasingly popular as people struggle for brief expressions to meet word limits on social media like Weibo and Twitter. In addition, the speed of the Internet means language is changing faster than ever. You no longer have to be published through physical and traditional means to bring word trends to public attention.

Many people believe the overuse of these new terms is a passing trend, and nobody will be using them in just a couple of decades. With the change of language, older terms will surely disappear and fall out of style, and newer and more Internet language will take their place.

But the Oxford English Dictionary thinks the contrary. In 2011, a lot of Internet terms including, “LOL,” “BPB,” “OMD,” and “BFF” were added to the dictionary, making these acronyms official parts of the English language. According to the dictionary writers, these terms aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

The words you use in everyday life are a reflection of yourself; this is especially true on the Internet with the lack of interaction in real life. With the Internet and social media rapidly getting popular, soon your words may be all you have left. Make them good ones.

The Internet has become part of teenagers’ life. There’s a report on 3,375 students aged from 10 to 18 in seven Chinese cities. It says that 38% of them believe they use the Internet often. While most of them get useful information and use the Internet to help in their studies, some are not using it in a good way. Many are playing online games too much. A few even visit Web sites they should not look at. Bad things can happen if young people spend too much time on the Internet.

In order to help young people use the Internet in a good way, a textbook on good Internet behavior has started to be used in some Shanghai middle schools this term. It uses real examples to teach students all about good ways of using the Internet. Some students also make online friends. But if you are meeting a friend offline, let your parents know.

Teachers and parents all think the book is a very good idea. It will teach students how to be a good person in the online world. It will be a guide for teens using the Internet and keep students away from bad sites.

I don’t post recognizable pictures of my children on social media. I don’t use their names. I don’t put anything out there that will be really embarrassing for them in later life.

The reason for not posting pictures is that I feel a person’s pictures should be his or her own. It’s not good for me to push my kids out into the wilds of the Web before they’re ready, and understand what it all means.

When the time comes, they’re more than welcome to use social media. But for now, I’m happy to give them a degree of separation until they can make a choice for themselves.

This has meant extra efforts on our part when it comes to making sure that kids don’t get accidentally caught up in the Internet, because the schools where they learn, like so many others up and down the country, post their pictures to social media.

However, my husband thought I was overanxious and asked me a question about its advantages. And having thought about it for while, I’m not 100 percent sure if there are any.

But I could list the disadvantages: the time it takes to manage an account, often by a teacher, meaning extra work; the unavoidable difficulties in safeguarding.

It’s great to see the kids doing their things in schools but my worry is about the use of social media that doesn’t give anything back to the kids, and in many ways, just turns them into another way to gain clicks. I want more than that for them.