(NewsNation) — Instagram will join Facebook, also owned by parent company Meta, in sending out Amber Alerts for missing children through its site.
Users in 25 countries around the world will be able to get alerts through Instagram about missing children in their area in an effort by the company to “keep our kids safe,” Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said on Twitter.
“What will happen is as you’re scrolling through feed, if there is an Amber alert in your area, you will see that in your feed,” Mosseri said. “One of the reasons we think this is compelling is we can include an image which you can’t include in an Amber Alert that shows up as a text.”
Mosseri said this move is a partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Instagram and Facebook both came under fire in September when a whistleblower who used to work for Meta released a trove of internal company documents that showed executives at Meta knew their platforms were harmful to children.
Researchers at Instagram found that 32% of teen girls felt worse about their bodies because of Instagram and teens blamed Instagram for increases in anxiety and depression, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal.
