As thousands of children prepare to start secondary school and receive their first mobile phone, 77% of parents admit they are worried about online safety and admit they don’t understand what their kids say online. To equip parents with a better understanding of teen language and modern slag, Tesco Mobile has reimagined Charles Dickens’ famous novel Great Expectations into the language of today’s generation, renamed ‘Bare Expectations’.
The new research reveals a growing slang barrier between parents and their children, with more than half (53%) feeling confused by their child’s language at least once a week, while an overwhelming 84% say the pace at which teen language evolves makes it harder to understand their children. The most concerning finding is that half (57%) of parents say deciphering their child’s communication makes it harder to recognise when something could be wrong or spot potential risks online.
To help bridge the communication gap, Tesco Mobile has partnered with Chloe Combi – author, researcher and one of the world’s foremost experts on Generation Z and Generation A – to translate Charles Dickens’ classic novel Great Expectations into teen speak, helping parents better understand their children’s world through a familiar story.
The modern-day adaptation, Bare Expectations, has been launched alongside Tesco Mobile’s new Safe Start offering – a guided phone-readiness experience, designed to help parents feel more confident their child’s phone is safe set up correctly and ready for day one.
As families prepare for the new school year, the significant milestone of a child getting their first phone often brings as much anxiety as excitement. One in four parents (25%) admit they felt unprepared when giving their child their first mobile phone, with top concerns including too much screen time (44%), cyberbullying (41%), and contact from strangers (41%).
To help parents navigate this crucial back-to-school period, Tesco Mobile’s new Safe Start mobile plans feature expert safety and set-up support, a choice of parental controls including the ability to restrict content for under 12s and under 18s, and 12 months access to Sway.ly, an app designed to support families navigating social media by flagging potentially harmful or toxic content, suggesting who to follow or unfollow to help shape social media feeds and encouraging open family conversations.
Produced as an audiobook, Bare Expectations reimagines the Victorian classic using the words and phrases young people use today, highlighting that while every generation has developed its own way of communicating, today’s online vernacular evolves faster than ever and if we can keep up with this evolving language, we can then help bridge the gap between parents and children and navigate the digital world together, helping to keep children safer online.
Chloe Combi, Tesco Mobile’s Youth Language Expert, said: “Teen slang has always existed, but today’s language is evolving at a pace we’ve never seen before. A word or phrase can emerge as a social media craze one day and become everyday language the next. Bare Expectations is a fun way of showing just how much communication has evolved by taking a story parents already know and translating into the language many of them don’t, helping them to better understand their children’s world and start more confident conversations.”
To bring the adaptation to life, Tesco Mobile teamed up with Kurupt FM’s MC Grindah, who was invited to a youth centre in London to give a reading of Bare Expectations to local parents and teens. The self-proclaimed “best MC in the galaxy” found himself learning new, unfamiliar words highlighting how quickly digital language evolves across generations.
Allan Mustafa, a.k.a MC Grindah from Kurupt FM, said: “You’d think the best MC in the galaxy would know all the latest slang, and I do. If any kid tells you otherwise, they’re lying. Any words I don’t know are just not cool enough for me to care about! Bare Expectations was a great way for me to share my slang knowledge and if that ends up getting families talking and helping parents understand what their kids are actually saying, then you’re welcome.”
The research also found may parents remain unaware of terminology with potentially dangerous meanings. Three in ten parents (30%) don’t know that “Do you send?” is a request for nude images, while 36% are unfamiliar with “The Plug” – colloquialism for a source or a dealer, often of illegal substances.
The most confusing terms for parents include ‘Gyatt’ (expressing excitement or admiration — 37%), ‘Finsta’ (a secret Instagram account hidden from parents — 37%), ‘The Plug’ (a dealer, often for illegal substances — 36%), ‘Mewing’ (a jawline-defining technique popular on social media — 34%), and ‘Mogging you’ (looking noticeably better than someone else — 33%).
The research also revealed a stark generational divide in understanding of youth vernacular. While 93% of parents of Gen Z children feel confident understanding their child’s language; this drops to just 38% among Baby Boomer parents. Similarly, 80% of parents aged 25-34 feel confident, compared to only 34% of those aged 65 and over.
When seeking help to decode their children’s online language, parents turn to search engines (54%), ask their child directly (42%), check social media (29%), or use AI tools (28%). Looking ahead, 22% say a glossary of current teen vocabulary would help them feel more confident, while another 22% want examples of what certain emojis really mean.
Laura Joseph, chief customer Officer at Tesco Mobile, said: Laura Joseph, Chief Customer Officer at Tesco Mobile, said: “”Parents don’t need to speak their children’s language to help keep them safe online, but they do need the confidence to start the conversation. With many parents telling us that teen slang and rapidly changing online trends can make it harder to spot potential issues, Safe Start is designed to help bridge that gap. By combining expert online safety guidance with AI-powered social media monitoring through Sway.ly, we’re giving families practical tools to better understand the digital world young people are navigating every day and support safer online experiences.”
Daniela Fernandez, Co-Founder of Sway.ly, notes that parents want to protect their children online but often struggle to understand their digital world and language. “That’s why we’ve partnered with Tesco Mobile on Safe Start,” she states. “Sway.ly’s technology gives parents insights into their children’s social media use, alongside practical tools and guidance, so they can spot problems early and act with confidence. The ‘Bare Expectations’ campaign builds on this by helping families start the conversations that matter and make positive changes for a healthier online experience.”
Tesco Mobile has recorded ‘Bare Expectations’ available to listen to for free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The audiobook offers an entertaining and practical guide to understanding the language young people use today, helping parents spot potential warning signs and keep their children safer online.
