Why? Well, according to one police force, it could actually be doing more harm than good.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are warning social media users that the posts may be assisting people who want to cause the child further harm – rather than helping to find them.
Taking to Facebook, Kindersley RCMP said: ‘Sometimes the missing children in the posts that you share are not actually missing.
‘They may actually be hiding for their own safety.
Police are warning against it (Picture: Reuters/ Dado Ruvic)
‘For example – a parent who has been forbidden any access to their children through a court order might put their children’s photos on Facebook and claim them as missing.
‘The other parent and child may be in hiding for their own protection. By sharing these photos, you may be putting a life at risk.’
The force added that people should always check the source of the image before sharing.
If they cannot find where it originated from, it’s likely that the appeal ‘is not legitimate’.
Since being uploaded, the post has been shared more than 47,000 times.
A spokesman added: ‘Always check the source of the photo you are sharing.
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