Instagram is rolling out Amber Alerts, a feature that could save children's lives

Instagram has begun rolling out a feature that has saved many lives over the years. In a blog post, the social media announced that it's launching the so-called Amber Alerts on its platform, just like the original Amber Alert that has been used in the States since the 90s.

This is a feature that, when activated by law enforcement, allows people to see and share notices of missing children in their area. To determine who to send these warnings to, Instagram uses several factors, including the city listed on your profile, your IP address, and location services if they are enabled.

As the social media explained, when there is an active Amber Alert in your location, it will now appear directly in your feed on the platform. There, you will find important details on the missing child, such as a photo, description, last known location, and any other information that could help find the kid. You can also share the alert with your friends, allowing more people to learn about the missing child and join the search.

Currently, Instagram is rolling out the Amber Alert feature in 25 countries: the US, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala, Ireland, Jamaica, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, South Africa, Taiwan, Ukraine, the UK, and the United Arab Emirates. Although only the listed countries will have the feature at launch, the social media stated that it is working on expanding and bringing Amber Alerts to more places in the world.

In its blog post, Instagram shared that since 2015, when Facebook introduced Amber Alerts on its platform, the feature has assisted in hundreds of successful child endangerment cases in the US and around the world. The social media also reminded us that Amber Alerts are an important way for our communities to help keep children safe.