Texas AMBER Alerts may soon pop up on TikTok feeds
TEXAS - AMBER Alerts may soon start popping up on your TikTok feed. It's part of a new initiative starting in Texas.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and TikTok have launched a pilot program that shows AMBER Alerts in the app.
"We have to meet the public where they are to get our information in front of the right set of eyes," John Bischoff, vice president of the missing children division at NCMEC, said.
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"Texas is actually the leading state on AMBER Alerts, and it's also where AMBER Alerts originated. It's also one of the leading states for cyber tip line reports. We thought that this state would be the perfect place to launch our program," Lili Nguyen, head of risk response and operations at TikTok, said.
AMBER Alerts are named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old who was kidnapped and murdered in Arlington in 1996. Her case is still unsolved.
The little girl in the example is Lina Khil, who vanished from a San Antonio playground in 2021.
NCMEC and TikTok plan to expand the program across the U.S.
Example of what an AMBER Alert would look like on TikTok
"There are 170 million Americans on this app. We currently have AMBER Alerts through other social media sites. We have them on the freeways and the more that we can get this into the hands of users, the more likely we'll be able to find more children and bring them home," Nguyen said.
NCMEC has also started a series on their TikTok page about online safety tips.
"Open up the conversation with your children. Have the conversation about online safety," Bischoff said.
If a missing child poster comes across your feed, pay attention.
"Every missing child poster is a call for public assistance. It's a call for public action, so stop for a second. Look at that image. If you recognize anything, if you see anything, if anything comes to mind, as small as it may seem, report it," Bischoff said.