Facebook is to start alerting members of the public when a child goes missing nearby.
The social network has teamed up with the National Crime Agency to place Child Rescue Alerts in people's News Feed.
A Facebook spokeswoman said: "When a child disappears and their life is at risk, every minute after the child's disappearance is crucial to bringing them home safely.
"For the police, getting information out to the public as quickly as possible, increasing eyes and ears on the streets, is vital."
When a high-profile alert is issued by the authorities, a Facebook post will be sent to the second position in News Feed to people who are near the location of where the child has gone missing.
The alert will allow police to give out important details about the child such as a photo, description, location of the abduction, and any other available information that can be provided to the public to aid in the search.
Those receiving it on Facebook or the community in the local area can then share it with friends to spread the word.
If someone believes they have seen the missing child - or have information to share - they will be able to call a number directly from the posting.
An alert will only be issued if the missing child is believed to be at risk of serious harm or their life is in danger so those receiving one are urged to take it seriously.
Emily Vacher, Trust and Safety Manager for Facebook told Sky News: "More than half of the people in the UK use Facebook.
"All over the world, we've seen communities rallying together in times of need, using Facebook to spread the word – and these alerts will make that quicker and help to reach more people than ever before during these exceptionally stressful and worrying times.
"Working in partnership with several of the UK's most critical support organisations, we hope we can enlist even more people to help reunite children with their families."
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