Douglas County’s top prosecutor says not every text message a child receives will make parents want to LOL.

That’s the acronym for “laugh out loud” in text lingo. District Attorney Charles Branson says parents should become familiar with more text and Internet messaging acronyms in the name of safety.

“The more parents know about the communication their children are having online or by text or e-mail, the more they are aware of what’s going on in a child’s life,” said Branson, whose office sent out a list of texting terms Monday.

He said the alert came about because his office examined text messages as evidence in some cases and the prosecutors had to look up certain acronyms because they didn’t know what they meant.

Also, law enforcement officers throughout the U.S. have encountered cases where possible sexual predators use text messages or Internet chat rooms to try to entice children to meet with them or have the child send inappropriate pictures or videos over the Internet.

So Branson sent out a list of terms that parents should watch for if their child is sending text messages or chatting with someone online. For example, LMIRL means “let’s meet in real life.”

Lawrence High School Principal Matt Brungardt said technology has changed the game as far as with whom students could communicate. But it doesn’t change the job of parents to find out who their child is talking to.

Brungardt and his wife tell their own children they are monitoring their online activity, including on Facebook and other Web sites.

“You still need to have the same level of diligence and know your kid’s friends,” Brungardt said.

Branson said if parents monitor their child’s activity, they can play a role in possible crime prevention.

“The parent has the greatest power in the world: inquiry,” Branson said. “They should ask what’s going on. Sometimes it’s difficult conversation. Sometimes you may learn more than you want to know.

“But it’s simple. Parent’s need to ask what’s going on.”