BTW Meaning: Definition, Use Cases By Teens, Examples (2024)

BTW stands for By The Way.

BTW is an internet slang initialism that is used as a transition phrase to bring up a topic that is aside from the subject of a conversation.

The expression BTW is used as a transition phrase in a conversation in the same sense as incidentally. This typing shortcut was one of the first internet initialisms to come into use; it became popularized in online chatting forums in the 1990s.

Examples of how your teen might use the slang term BTW:

-BTW I brought in the mail when I went over to feed the cat.

-BTW did Mom seem calmer than usual to you?

-Your fit looked snatched btw!

-Caroline and I are mutuals BTW.

You might learn your child is using this slang term by chance when a text pops up on the phone screen. But while the slang term BTW is harmless, other teenage slang terms could indicate that your teen is talking about risky behaviors or communicating with potentially dangerous people.

Having a parental control app on your child’s phone will give you peace of mind by alerting you to your child’s exposure to risks encountered on their phone. With a parental control app installed on your child’s phone, you have the control to set alerts to help your teen avoid the pitfalls of predators, drug dealers, and other negative influences. Having the ability to vary the level of monitoring gives you the power to choose what is right for your child, and these levels can be adjusted easily at any time.

The slang term BTW is a harmless shortcut used to save time typing, but even the most mundane internet expression can be used to start up a conversation with your kids since keyboards are an integral part of their existence. Enjoy having a conversation with your teenager that has no agenda; just sit back and listen to whatever he/she wants to share with you.

Here are some conversation starters for talking with your kid about slang expressions:

• Have you ever noticed how some people try to casually drop important information at the end of a conversation and then you realize that was the whole point of the conversation, like oh yeah, btw…?
• Back in the days of flip phones, we had to type out text messages on the number pad, so that’s when a lot of initialisms became commonplace. Have you ever tried to type a message on an old flip phone?
• Autofill and autocorrect were so hard to get used to at first. Have you seen funny examples of crazy, autocorrected messages?
• If you had to ban one abbreviation, which one would you choose?