Facebook Adds AMBER Alerts to Find Missing Children

Facebook users can now sign up to receive AMBER Alerts to help find missing children. Facebook, the Justice Department and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children made the announcement in a press release.

Choose your state on the AMBER Alert Facebook page and alerts will start to appear in your news feed. Pages have been set up for all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

This is great news for parents. Facebook has more than 500 million users and most of my own friends pop on and off Facebook all day. It's only a matter of time before someone helps find an abducted child because they saw the AMBER Alert on Facebook.

On a related note, it was 14 years ago today nine-year-old Amber Hagerman, who the AMBER Alert system was named after, was abducted and later found murdered. The Department of Justice says AMBER Alerts have helped bring home 495 children.

Stay connected through Facebook, Twitter and the free newsletter.