Do you share 'missing people' posts on social media?

[eenymeenyminyme]

I tend to share ones for children or vulnerable people who have gone missing from the local area or if it's someone I have a connection to but I just get a nagging feeling that a grown adult may be escaping from something and not want to be found, so I don't share those.

What do you think?

General advice is only to share if it's a post from a genuine police force.
I was having this conversation with a colleague who said that generally you have a better chance of getting someone back safely from a hostage / abduction type incident if you don't make a big hoohah about it.

Absolutely not.

Only if it's from an official source, and only if local.

I'm in Glasgow. No point in me sharing posts about someone who has gone missing in Cornwall.

And I don't share pet ones either.

Only if its in my local area and only if it's from the police or a news source.

Only if it’s from an actual police appeal

I don’t share any, unless by the police. An abusive father might post a photo of their child who has left with their mother to live in a refuge and use this to track them down.

Absolutely not unless it's local and from the local police who have asked for it to be shared. Somebody local who I used to have on my FB shared them all, of course I'm bound to see a missing child from Texas walking around rural Herefordshire

Nope. Some of them are plain weird too, or often from years ago where the person sharing hasn’t thought to check if it’s still relevant.

Hmm... I think I'll just share police ones from now on, just to be on the safe side. I'd hate the thought of putting someone in danger!

One less thing to keep me awake at night then, thank you

I share if our county police asks us to. I often google the persons name and realise they were found, sometimes years ago, or on the other side of the world. I think scammers use these pictures for click bait.

The only ones that I’d consider sharing are the vulnerable adult / elderly person ones occasionally shared by my local police force. I’d also always check the date first, to make sure it’s current.

My MIL constantly shares posts that are five years old, or for random people found safe and well in Minnesota the day after they went missing in 2008. Drives me nuts! For this reason, I only share local official appeals now.

Oh god, yes it drives me nuts when people share old posts as if it's news - mainly missing people and celebrity deaths (where I tend to comment 'what, again?!')

There's a certain type who shares these all the time, whether they live near them or not. They also share things about cruelty to animals, how much they love their grandkids, poppies and how immigrants have some sort of effect on are lads.

Not personally but I run a small local organisation so I do when they're relevant to the area. I will share police force ones or vulnerable elderly people who have gone missing when their family have asked me to.

We have quite a few teens run away here as there is a few care homes dotted around they end up safe and well I do feel for them but I don't think me sharing will help, i have shared missing people i knew of though.

I make a point of never sharing any post that contains the words “please share”.

It’s served me well.

I make a point of never sharing any post that contains the words “please share”.
It’s served me well.

Ooh, good call!

I was reading a thing maybe from refuge or womens aid that sharing missing women and children could be dangerous for them I am always wary of sharing non police statuses I never know what to do .

No I don't. The person who does it is honest in their intent and trying to help but I think it's open to abuse.

Same with lost pets too.

No, am always afraid it is someone who doesn't want to be found

I don't.

What makes me laugh is when people post "shared, Bognor"

You are sharing it on the bloody internet. Who gives a shit where you're doing it from.

What bothers me is the other responses. People are generally great and sympathetic but inevitably if the person is a teenage girl, the responses are hideous. Just seeking attention, why are we wasting police time, silly little girls etc etc. There was one locally just before Christmas here where a girl who had gone missing once before was missing again. The comments were atrocious. The girl was found two weeks later having taken her own life. I'd like to hope those who commented were ashamed of themselves.

@MintyMabel that’s awful

No, I don't share any of them. Neither do I post on any of those trying to find a long list school friend/ moved away 30 years ago and desperate to reconnect/trying to find my relative type posts either.

I don't share because there are many good reasons why not. This may be biased as I do know someone who was tracked down in this way, by family she was trying to hide from.