Young Facebook users will be able to report suspicious online behaviour and access internet safety advice with the launch of a new application.
All users of the social networking site will be able to access an advice centre from their homepage where there will be a dedicated facility for reporting suspected grooming or inappropriate sexual behaviour.
The facility is the result of a joint initiative between Facebook and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre and users will be able to bookmark the ClickCEOP service or add it as an application to find information about online safety.
An automatic advert for ClickCEOP will appear on the homepage of every user aged between 13 and 18, encouraging them to add the facility to their profile.
The protection centre's new Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/clickceop) will also give users the option to add the ClickCEOP application.
Jim Gamble, chief executive of the CEOP Centre said: "Our dialogue with Facebook about adopting the ClickCEOP button is well documented - today however is a good day for child protection.
"By adding this application, Facebook users will have direct access to all the services that sit behind our ClickCEOP button which should provide reassurance to every parent with teenagers on the site."
Joanna Shields, Facebook's Vice President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, added: "Nothing is more important than the safety of our users, which is why we have invested so much in making Facebook one of the safest places on the internet.
"There is no single silver bullet to making the internet safer but by joining forces with CEOP we have developed a comprehensive solution which marries our expertise in technology with CEOP's expertise in online safety."
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James Brokenshire, Minister for Crime Prevention said: "I am pleased that Facebook and CEOP have joined forces so that more children can report suspicious behaviour and gain access to the help, advice and support they need. I strongly urge parents to encourage their children to download this application now."
