NEW YORK, Aug 15 — TikTok isn’t just about dances and “story time.” The Chinese app is looking to help the families of missing persons spread the word about finding their loved ones, by acting as a relay for AMBER Alerts, a large-scale system set up to report child abductions in the USA and Canada.

It’s a major step forward in the fight against missing persons: TikTok, in partnership with the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), a non-profit organisation handling cases of missing or exploited children and young adults in the US, is launching a pilot programme to display AMBER Alerts directly in the app’s “For You” feed.

Given the popularity and large user base of the Chinese app, this initiative could easily increase the visibility of missing persons alerts, bringing them to the attention of the platform’s users.

Still in the trial phase, the feature will be put to the test in Texas, USA, before potentially being rolled out nationwide. “Today, we’re launching a new pilot programme with @NCMEC to display AMBER Alerts directly in the “For You” feed.” Launched in Texas, this initiative aims to combat child trafficking and exploitation while raising awareness about missing children,” reads a tweet posted on social network X, formerly Twitter.

NCMEC has previously been sharing missing persons alerts on its own TikTok account. The collaboration with the Chinese platform aims to give these alerts greater online prominence.

TikTok users have already been using the platform’s large reach and viral nature to get assistance with various causes. While some users make appeals for donations to support charitable causes, others have already posted missing persons notices on the app to their communities. — ETX Studio