To wonder about all the missing children FB posts

[Trilllllian]

There seem to be so many missing children posts on FB. I don’t think I have a particularly over ‘social sharing’ bunch of FB friends but FB is throwing them up in my timeline itself.

Just now a two year old missing, yesterday 11 year old.

AIBU to think one of the following:

A) Some/most are fake troll posts

B) some are actually a case of one parent not returning child when expected after a breakup (but this isn’t publicised because they still need sightings reported even if child is with DF or DGM)

C) they really are missing and I’m desensitised to it and now ignore them

D) they really are missing and the media isn’t reporting them unless it’s a sensational story.

I don't share them unless they come from the police Facebook page. I know of someone who's ex put a post up saying his son was missing. He wasn't. The ex was a violent fucket, who used this method to track the family down. The fall out from it was awful.

She had to move her kids again. Thankfully the ex is in prison now for unrelated offences.

There are hundreds of missing families in the UK every year but I do wonder sometimes if the posts are from abusive partners trying to find their ex.

Shortstuff08 I could've saved myself a post 😆

E). Abusive ex trying to track down ex-partner
F). Kid legitimately removed (ss or similar) and parent trying to trace them

Oh god I hadn’t thought of an

E) (abusive partner) and
F)(SS removes child and parent trying to find)

In addition to the reasons above, I also will not share these posts as they are advertising the identity of a vulnerable young person, and sharing personal details without that person's consent.

I’ve had loads in the last few days too! I do t share them but wonder where they’ve suddenly come from

Yes, there are very few missing children I.e disappeared completely. Its as you suggest A B E F. Dont let it get to you.

This one just came up in my timeline (not shared by anyone I know) and I’m now going to see WTAF ‘missing child alerts’ is. They have misspelt ‘travelling’

I think it’s a mixture of children who have been legally removed by one of the parents and (mostly) teenage runaways scaring the life out of their parents.

Never share unless its via a police source.

You are NOT supposed to respond or repost unless the post comes from an official Police source. This is the official/police guidance.

They will be involved in legitimate cases of missing children and will make the call whether making the missing child status publicly available is in the best interests of finding the child.

Otherwise you can be inadvertently helping abusive parents/partners etc track down children who have been officially removed/protected from them, or you could be potentially threatening an ongoing case

Ok well this one is genuine and supported by Gov.uk. I’m pretty surprised TBH

Child rescue alert.org.uk
www.gov.uk/government/news/sign-up-to-child-rescue-alert-text-scheme-home-secretary-urges

As that one is genuine I’m really surprised there isn’t any safeguarding advice about not sharing more informal posts as @absofrigginglootly we all have suggested. Could come back and bite them in the bum.

The fact they ask you to inform 999 at least suggests it is not E or F.

I would have expected in case B though they would have a dedicated number, rather than routing it through the emergency number. Which makes me wonder if it is A.

I only share ones from the police. Too many are shown to be from absent or abusive parents who rightly aren't supposed to know where the children are.

The missing one year old boy thought to be traveling to South End is genuine. It’s out on Child Alert but he has been reported as missing along with his Mother. Not sure if the concerns are because she isn’t supposed to have him or because she herself is a vulnerable high risk missing person.

Op if that post related to a mum and son from Croydon heading to Southend it's in the online newspapers so am assuming it's legitimate

There was one a few months ago. 8 year old girl had been taken from school yard by a man.

Turns out the school yard was home time, and man was the child's father.

I do think a lot of times it's cases like this. Which is disgusting .

I never share them unless from a credible police source & current, they're often years old if you check the story behind them, it's mostly spam.

It's the ones that share missing children in Oklahoma (when the poster is in the UK) that get me. I've seen it on here, too, where the compassion of the poster has vastly overweighed her comprehension skills.

Outweighed, I mean!

Domestic abuse is behind most of them. Some of the ones that pop up on my timeline are American. People just mindlessly share!
Our local police fb page is quite irresponsible too, I'm afraid. Several of the teenagers they report missing are regulars, obviously have troubles at home and yet they leave all sorts of comments running from adults who should know better.

I'd like to share them as I am quite a naive person who likes to think the best of everybody but I also know that the world is not like that so I would only share them if it was a child I knew personally and knew the circumstances.

I occasionally get ones on my news feed from thousands of miles away and I wonder what the heck is the point. A child missing in California is highly unlikely to turn up in this corner of SW England.

I’m surprised there is a crime reference number rather than just telling people to phone 999 on that Child Rescue Alert message