What is IRL? The acronym means “In Real Life” and has become crucial internet slang, dividing the digital world from real life. IRL came in the early days of the internet’s use of chat rooms, but re-emerged with social media and gaming. Understanding IRL is important because it speaks to people’s negotiation of dual identities – one that is curated online and another that is lived physically. For children and teens, IRL is a potential critical line between what is private and what is posted. Parents need to be aware of IRL terminology because it links to issues of safety regarding the oversharing of real-world information.
What does IRL mean?
IRL stands for In Real Life. It describes anything that happens outside of the digital world – physical places, real relationships, physical experiences. When someone says “I know them IRL” what they mean is that they have met face to face, not through messaging or gaming. The term distinguishes the real offline existence from the constructed online personas.
Understanding IRL helps kids to distinguish between online friends and real friends. Teens turn to IRL when they are talking about whether connections are real. Parents have an opportunity to benefit from understanding IRL as it indicates what information children deem shareable. The term brings about the language surrounding two different realities – the filtered online version and the unfiltered physical one. Young users know IRL as an acronym that means getting away from devices and living in the real world. This distinction is important since what occurs IRL should not necessarily become content for social platforms.
Where did the term IRL come from?
IRL developed in the early days of internet chatrooms when users were bound to need vocabulary to differentiate between screen personas and actual identities. The term solved a communication gap – users needed shorthand for “this exists in real life, not just online.”
IRL popularity was accelerated with the expansion of social media. Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok blurred the lines between what was online and offline. Gaming culture exacerbated the IRL usage even more. Gamers talked about IRL meetups and the question of gaming relationships being of real value.
Children and teens are using IRL more and more nowadays. Young users define limits in terms of IRL language. Saying “I’ll tell you about it IRL” is a sign of confidentiality concerns. Posting “mood IRL vs. mood online” accepts the existence of different presentations of self. Teens know that they play identities differently in physical spaces. IRL vocabulary helps them to express this difference.
How is IRL used online?
IRL is used pretty frequently in message, comments, and even captions. Some teens rely on this slang to signal privacy to keep sensitive information away from strangers on the internet. For example, A teen might say “I’ll explain IRL” to show that he’s not comfortable about continuing the current discussion in the digital world. Some other use cases include:
- Influences using “meet me IRL” tags to set up fan meets.
- Captions mentioning “me IRL” to show one’s authentic self.
- Memes using IRL to compare filtered vs real scenarios.
- Friends use IRL to define meetup plans.
All in all, IRL usage online is pretty versatile. Some teens use it to preserve privacy while other rely on it to easily manage their meetup schedules.
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What is IRL meaning on social media?
On social media, IRL is used to compare real life with how life is presented online. It often highlights the gap between filtered, performative content and what people actually look like, feel like, or experience offline.
IRL meaning on TikTok
TikTok designed categories of trends specifically to online vs. IRL reality. “Online vs IRL” trends went viral where filters and makeup completely changed appearance. These videos represent gaps between video personas and real-world presentation. Users love “real” IRL versions, but the algorithm is more interested in high-production edited content.
Filters and edited content affect the self-image of children to a huge degree. Research shows that adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media have double the risk of having symptoms of depression and anxiety. The constant comparison of filtered versions of online and unfiltered selves causes distress. Young users internalize that in order to have an authentic IRL appearance, enhancement is necessary. When children meet peers IRL, there are mismatched expectations, and disappointments. Longer usage of TikTok causes psychological burden and body insecurity.
RL meaning on Instagram & Snapchat
Instagram promotes “real-life” moment sharing using Stories features. But the platform is still fundamentally image-focused. Users are stressed posting aesthetically pleasing IRL moments all the time.
There is sometimes significant pressure young users face by sharing personal IRL details. Peers expect to hear regular updates about lives. Not sharing is a reason for concern or suspicions. On the other hand, Instagram increases the pressure of performed or enhanced versions.
Sharing personal details about IRL locations and relationships and routines creates privacy risks. Children’s sharing of location data directly linked to contact with a stranger. Research showed 56% of parents said their children left location sharing on and 31% of parents said their kids have been contacted by strangers who mentioned their child’s location. Thus, Snapchat’s location-sharing tool poses particularly great risks.
What is IRL in gaming and streaming?
Gaming culture evolved into a specific IRL terminology. Gamers make references to IRL skills vs. in-game abilities all the time. Discussions on IRL meetups have become standard vocabulary. Sometimes, online squad members occasionally become friends in the real world. Also, there are IRL gaming tournaments where players compete against each other in person, instead of remotely.
IRL streaming refers to content creators who film themselves in physical environments as opposed to game. Platforms such as Twitch and YouTube are home to IRL streamers who broadcast outdoor activities, shopping trips, walks and events. The format has an intimate tone to it because authenticity is a selling point to audiences. IRL streamers are able to speak spontaneously and genuinely react to everything that happens in the real world.
IRL streaming opens up huge vulnerabilities from the perspective of security. Broadcasting where we go reveals our routine patterns to strangers. IRL streamers tend to stream from public spaces where anyone can come, approach, and be around them. Sharing faces is one way to allow for facial recognition and targeted surveillance. Thus, predators are able to track movements and plan on encounters.
Also, some followers become obsessed, going from online admiration to physical stalking. IRL broadcasts routines that should not be public – school schedules, home locations, favorite hang out spots become visible to thousands.
Is IRL safe? What parents should know
There are real dangers to the IRL information sharing. When children post school names, addresses or daily routines on the internet, predators have the targeting power. Location information specifically is what enables physical harm. A child who mentions his or her school name or posts photos of the campus maps their vulnerability. The use of addresses shared in caption raises home safety issues. Moreover, routines talked about on the web – piano lessons on Tuesdays, soccer practice on Thursdays, etc. – become routines that strangers use to their advantage.
Oversharing: concerning patterns. On average, 11-year-olds post to a social media site 26 times a day. Each post carries the risk of revealing IRL information. Cumulative sharing builds up pictures of lives and habits. Repots further show that only 46% of minors have a working knowledge of ways to change privacy settings. Most children are unable to limit audience access. Deleting posts from the live site may exist on the backup servers. Children don’t understand digital permanence – that anything posted out there is there forever.
IRL meetups represent what families are discussing about stranger danger scenarios. Meeting online contacts in person brings an unknown risk. Predators in particular build relationships with minors online, first gaining trust before offering to meet. Children can develop attachment to online contacts which lowers the guard. Young people cannot be an objective judge of danger from new contacts. Predators have sophisticated tactics of manipulation. What appears to be true friendship can be calculated grooming. The anonymity of online interaction makes it possible for deception to take place.
Children have a hard time grasping consequences of sharing IRL information. Child development research indicates that adolescent brains also continue to be developed throughout their twenties, especially areas related to impulse control and risk assessment.
How parents can protect children from IRL risks
Teaching information categories assists children in the establishment of boundaries. Some information should remain private IRL – school names and addresses, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, full birthdates, schedules and routines, along with family financial information. Explaining why each category is important helps children internalize boundaries.
Creating rules about sharing aspects of real life needs to happen through household conversations. Family meetings, and expectations are set together. Setting up rules like not obtaining parent approval to post the location information, not live streaming routines or locations, not discussing school or address in even private message, and not ever meeting online contacts without parent presence. Written agreements are useful in helping younger children remember rules. Also, regular check-ins allow for families to revisit rules as circumstances change.
Parental controls are available to track questionable content and discussions. Digital monitoring software like FlashGet Kid triggers alerts to parents when kids mention IRL details. Parents can set up the keyword detection feature within FlashGet Kids to mark all sensitive details about a child’s life. From there, every time the child mentions such details, the parent will get an immediate alert. This allows for quick intervention, and then you can have a discussion with your child about managing their real life privacy.
Similar slang terms to IRL
AFK stands for “Away From Keyboard” meaning that the user has left their computer or is not currently online. Unlike IRL, AFK merely means temporary absence from screens. Someone may say “I’m going AFK” before leaving a game. AFK assumes that the person will be returning.
IMO means “In My Opinion” while IMHO means “In My Humble Opinion.” These abbreviations make statements about people online less harsh. Unlike IRL that links to presence, these acronyms link to tonality. Someone may write “IMHO, this movie is worthy of better reviews.”
TBH is short for “To Be Honest,” and is typically used in non-professional communication via the internet. It brings in statements in the form of genuine stances. Sometimes, The phrase implies that earlier claims have been not honest. Unlike IRL, which differentiates environments, TBH admits to performance in the same environment.
Online and in real life slang is very different. IRL vocabulary relies on boundaries and the environment. Online slang focuses on tone, efficiency and expression of emotion. Other internet abbreviations mostly live within cyberspace. IRL is the only one which bridges both worlds – it is describing the contrast itself.
Final thoughts
IRL itself is not particularly dangerous. The acronym offers a vocabulary for the differentiation of reality and digital performance. The risk is the real concern because of the uncontrolled sharing of real-life information across platforms. Children understand the concept of IRL but don’t understand privacy implications. Thus, Parental guidance and digital supervision with FlashGet Kids is more important than ever as compared to simply banning of apps altogether.
