TikTok has partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Now, real-time Amber Alerts will be displayed natively in users’ For You feeds in the United States. This strategic partnership is all about leveraging the platform’s massive reach. Together, we hope to be able to find missing children more quickly by efficiently and rapidly disseminating critical information. This joint initiative highlights the importance of swift information sharing when a child is first reported missing.
The deal is the latest move by social media platforms to incorporate Amber Alerts into their platforms. TikTok’s implementation puts it alongside Facebook, which first started adding Amber Alerts in 2016, and Instagram, which added them in 2022. The TikTok Amber Alerts idea comes on the heels of a successful pilot program enacted in Texas. As a result, over the course of this pilot users accessed alerts over 20 million times. This level of engagement resulted in 2.5 million visits to NCMEC’s website between August and December 2024.
The Urgency of Amber Alerts
Gavin Portnoy, vice president of Communications & Brand at NCMEC, emphasized the urgency of such alerts, stating:
“Every second counts when a child goes missing.”
Along with serving Amber Alerts, TikTok is providing NCMEC with advertising credits to help them serve their mission. These credits will be utilized to promote awareness and messaging related to missing children, as well as youth safety information and resources available on the platform. This new initiative — unfold for a child — is meant to raise awareness and inspire communities to participate in the efforts to find missing children.
Portnoy further expressed gratitude for TikTok’s support, noting that the advertising credits will significantly bolster NCMEC’s efforts. By enhancing the visibility of vital information, TikTok aims to foster a safer environment for children and contribute to their swift recovery when they go missing.
Author’s Opinion
TikTok’s integration of Amber Alerts into its platform is a welcome development, demonstrating how social media can be leveraged for positive social impact. With the rapid dissemination of critical information to millions of users, this initiative could potentially play a key role in saving lives and reuniting families. By making these alerts more accessible, TikTok helps fill an important gap in the response process for missing children.
Featured image credit: FMT
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