Missing Children

Notes by: Theresa Payton, Fortalice, LLC.
Also covered by WBTV's segment, Protecting Your Cyberturf

One Department of Justice report estimates that roughly 800,000 people under the age of 18 in the United States are reported missing each year. Did you know that if you have a missing child, that the internet can play a key role in helping you or your friends find a lost child?

First there were posters and milk cartons, these were effective but limited distribution. Then we moved to amber alerts. Now, we have high tech alerts that we can use to send out blast messages. WBTV’s Cyber Expert, Theresa Payton, tells you what you need to know now so you know what to do if a disaster strikes and you are desperately searching for a child.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:

· Have recent photos of your kids

· Fingerprint

· Contact local, state, and FBI law enforcement immediately

· Notify your network of family, friends, places such as your child’s school

· Use the power of Facebook, Twitter, and email to get the message out

· Visit the Amber Alert website and the National Center for Missing and Exploited children

The NCMEC has hit record highs in successfully finding missing children. It used to be 60% in the 1980s and recently hit 96.5%. They attribute a lot of this success to social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

WEB RESOURCES:

NCMEC: http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PublicHomeServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US or 1-800-THE-LOST

USA.Gov has resources on child protection , advice, and steps to take if the worst happens at: http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Missing_Children.shtml

Amber Alert site: http://www.amberalert.gov/