TikTok has announced a collaboration with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to deliver real-time Amber Alerts directly to users’ For You feeds in the United States. Through this new initiative, if law enforcement issues an Amber Alert and individuals are located within the designated search area, the alert will now be displayed in their For You feed. According to a company spokesperson, TikTok determines users’ locations using their device’s IP address.
The alert will include essential details typically found in standard Amber Alerts, such as the child’s photograph, physical description, last known location, and any other critical information that may assist in the search.
TikTok reports that the national rollout of Amber Alerts follows a successful pilot program in Texas, where these alerts on the platform were viewed over 20 million times, resulting in 2.5 million visits to NCMEC’s website from August to December 2024.
Additionally, TikTok is donating advertising credits to enhance NCMEC’s messaging on missing children and youth safety information on the platform. This initiative aligns with TikTok’s strategy to introduce in-app Amber Alerts, considering the substantial user base of teenagers, who may be more attentive to such alerts compared to traditional notifications.
Gavin Portnoy, Vice President of Communications & Brand at NCMEC, emphasized the importance of swift action when a child is missing. In a press release, he stated, “By harnessing the reach and speed of a platform like TikTok, parents, caregivers, and communities nationwide can become powerful advocates in the urgent effort to locate missing children.”
It is noted that TikTok is not the only social network integrating Amber Alerts into its services. Facebook has been displaying Amber Alerts to users since 2016, and Instagram followed suit in 2022.
