Sacramento, Calif. —- Adolescents and preteens are swearing more publicly than ever —- especially at school, experts say.

It's conversational swearing, says Timothy Jay, a psychology professor at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and a leading scholar of cursing in the United States.

Teens are more likely to drop casual expletives, or "fillers," than the generation before them and have more trouble adjusting their conversation to fit their audience. So adults hear more of the same language the teens' friends hear, says Jay.

He estimates the average adolescent uses 80 to 90 swear words a day.

"Elementary ... teachers report that children are using more offensive language at school than they have in the past," said Jay.

He said the Internet, TV and other media may be making adolescents more comfortable with swearing, but their parents' own language habits are the biggest influence.

"It starts as soon as they learn how to talk," he said. "At a young age, they're attentive to emotions. When you're swearing to be funny or when you're angry that just draws them right to it."