Instagram has announced the addition of support for AMBER Alerts, allowing users to see and share the vital messages for the first time. AMBER Alerts are issued to alert people of a missing child in the hope that they can be found more speedily.

In a move announced via the Meta blog, the company confirmed that the feature is now rolling out in the United States and other countries.

Today, we’re bringing AMBER Alerts to Instagram for the first time. This feature was developed in partnership with organizations like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the US, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, the National Crime Agency in the UK, the Attorney General’s Office in Mexico, the Australian Federal Police and more.

If anyone receives an AMBER Alert they know that a search is underway in their specific area. Instagram says that alerts will be sent to people based on their IP address to ensure only those in the correct parts of the world will see them.

Users in multiple countries around the world will now begin to see AMBER Alerts when the need arises.

AMBER Alerts on Instagram will start rolling out today, and be fully available in the next couple of weeks in 25 countries: 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, the United Arab Emirates and the US. We’re working to expand and bring them to more countries.

Instagram is one of the best iPhone apps for sharing photos and that also means that millions of people around the world already have the app installed on their devices. If this new addition means that children can be located more easily, it’s one that is very much welcome.