There's a reason why teenage runaways don't make the headlines: there are too many of them, with an average of 10 to 12 missing per day. The average age of runaway teenagers is around fifteen. The police say that unless there is a crime, there is little they can do and that running away is not a crime. Unless the teens are in immediate danger, investigators keep a low profile on these cases and do not seek publicity, because cases of missing teens are very common. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Children run away for various reasons: they don't like rules, they don't like curfews, they don't want to go to bed, they want to be with their boyfriend/girlfriend , etc. Regardless, detectives will take on these cases if a parent reports a child missing. A parent does not have to wait 24 to 48 hours to report a child missing, as is usually the case on TV shows. Detectives start by establishing paper trails, making calls and searching obvious places, but research indicates the majority of runaway teens will return within 48 hours. Often, panicked parents think the cops aren't doing enough to search. In defense of law enforcement, there are cases where the same child has been reported missing 14 times and each time a person goes missing it should be treated as an individual report. It's also often the case that runaways don't want to come home or aren't ready to come home. However, each case must be taken seriously. We should all be very concerned for the safety and well-being of children who have run away, as adolescence is an emotional and confusing time for children. They may find themselves caught in situations whose repercussions they do not fully understand, such as selling drugs or exchanging sex to survive. While there are privacy laws, I think there should be an unchecked provision requiring social media to provide access to law enforcement if a child under 18 is reported missing by his parents. This would make their job much easier.Keep in mind: This is just a sample.Get a custom paper from our expert writers now.Get a custom essaySystems like SecuraChild use social media networks like Twitter and Facebook for sending text messages and emails. -emails every time a child is reported missing via their site. This has proven to be very effective and social media has helped resolve and recover 98% of AMBER alerts. Since the advent of social media, the recovery rate of missing children has increased over the years. 35%.