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By Sharlette A. Kellum, Ph.D.
When I checked my 10-year-old daughter’s TikTok messages in early February, I expected to find the usual mix of dance challenges, school jokes and anime clips.
Instead, I saw a stranger ask her, “Do you like children?” She responded to the stranger: “I’m not a MAP.”
I had never heard the term before. When I asked her what “MAP” meant, she simply answered that it stands for minor-attracted person.
In that moment, I realized something unsettling but important: Children are encountering coded language online long before many parents even know it exists.
Why I’m writing about this
In my broader research on online harms to children and teens, I examine how the design and governance of websites and apps influence real‑world safety outcomes.
My forthcoming research explores how social media platforms, messaging apps and gaming communities succeed and fail at protecting young people from grooming attempts, unwanted contact and other forms of online exploitation.
That’s why my daughter’s response stopped me cold.
Despite months of research on how major digital platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube shape online safety, I had never encountered the term MAP. However, after only two months of chatting on TikTok, she had.
The terms parents should know
MAP is a term that appears in some academic literature related to child protection policy and sexual exploitation prevention, and in online spaces such as forums, Reddit communities and niche social media groups. But it remains unfamiliar to many parents and caregivers.
Fact-checking organizations like Snopes have addressed the term MAP repeatedly because of how often it surfaces without explanation.
MAP exists within a wider ecosystem of euphemisms and coded references. Being able to recognize these terms early can help parents identify potentially dangerous interactions and understand when someone online may be attempting to mask harmful intent.
Awareness of this language gives adults a clearer sense of when to step in and support their children’s safety on social media.
Parents and their children may see or hear these terms on popular apps and sites like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Discord and Reddit.
These terms include:
- NOMAP/Non-offending MAP and Anti-contact MAP: Labels used by people who identify as minor attracted and claim they do not act on their attraction to children but still seek legitimacy or community.
- 764, or 7 6 4: A numerical code used in certain forums, including niche Reddit threads and specialized message boards, to signal attraction to minors without using explicit language.
- Age of Attraction, or AOA: A term used by MAPs to relay their age preference — typically starting at 11 years old.
- Adult-Minor Sexual Contact, or AMSC: A term used by people who believe children should have sexual autonomy and can decide whether they want to engage in sexual activity with an adult — a position widely rejected by child protection experts.
- Adult Friend and Young Friend, or AF/YF: Identifies people who are in MAP relationships.
Why kids encounter this language first
Children and teens spend substantial amounts of time online. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that roughly 1 in 5 U.S. teens say they are on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube almost constantly, with YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat among the most widely used platforms.
Young people are remarkably good at picking up meaning from context. They notice tone, repetition and how others react. They may not fully understand where a term came from, but they understand how it functions socially, meaning what it signals, when it’s a joke and when it’s a warning.
Journalists and linguists describe this phenomenon as algospeak: language shaped by algorithmic moderation rather than clarity or transparency.
Adults, by contrast, often encounter these terms only after something alarming happens. By then, the language may already feel normalized to kids.
How harmful interactions slip past moderation
Most major social media platforms rely heavily on automated moderation systems. These systems are effective at catching explicit words or previously flagged phrases.
Research and reporting show that when moderation falls behind evolving terminology, harmful interactions — especially those involving adults initiating contact with children or teens — often follow a predictable progression.
The first step includes people using euphemisms instead of explicit terms. “MAP” is less likely to trigger moderation or be flagged for removal than the word “pedophile” it often replaces.
People also often use numbers or emojis to communicate their meaning indirectly. Codes like “764” or certain emoji combinations can signal meaning without using recognizable words.
Some people embed terms in memes, jokes or ironic commentary. This makes harmful language appear harmless or funny.
Other people use aesthetic camouflage, meaning anime avatars, pastel color schemes or cute usernames to appear harmless or youth-friendly.
Adults may also move conversations to private messages. Initial contact often happens in public comments, but the real conversation shifts to private direct messages, or DMs.
Finally, another warning sign is when people online create backup accounts. When one account is flagged, another appears quickly.
Proactive parental education
Most online safety advice is reactive: Adults are encouraged to respond after a term appears or after a child feels uncomfortable.
Research increasingly shows that effective protection often begins earlier, with parents helping children understand how digital environments work.
Studies on youth digital literacy suggest that children benefit from understanding that algorithms reward attention, repetition and engagement rather than safety.
Knowing that the app thinks you like something if you stop and watch it helps young users see content as something pushed toward them, not something they sought out.
Some families introduce general conversations about coded language early during late elementary or early middle school. Discussing why people use euphemisms online prepares children to pause and ask questions when unfamiliar terms appear.
Research on parental mediation also finds that rehearsed responses help children disengage from uncomfortable interactions. Simple scripts such as “I don’t want to talk about that,” “I’m blocking you” or “I’m logging off now” can help reduce hesitation.
Parents spending time with their kids as they interact with others on apps and websites — not to police them but to interpret what they are seeing — can also help children and teens learn how to analyze digital behavior the same way they analyze peer pressure offline.
Studies also show that children and teens who understand they don’t owe strangers politeness, personal details or continued conversation are less vulnerable to manipulation.
Awareness, not alarm, is a powerful tool for families navigating online spaces where harmful language and intent are often hidden in plain sight.
When adults stay engaged and proactive, children are better equipped to recognize when something feels wrong and to talk about it with the people they trust.
Originally published by The Conversation.
Sharlette Annette Kellum, Ph.D., is an associate professor whose research examines online harms, youth digital behavior and the governance of social platforms.
