Young Facebook users will be able to report suspicious online behaviour and access internet safety advice with a new application which was launched in the UK yesterday.
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 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.
Jim Gamble, chief executive officer 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.
"We know from speaking to offenders that a visible deterrent could protect young people online.
"We urge all Facebook users to add the app and bookmark it so that others can see that they're in control online."
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.
"Together we have developed a new way of helping young people stay safe online and backed this with an awareness campaign to publicise it to young users.
"It is only through the constant and concerted effort of the industry, police, parents and young people themselves that we can all keep safe online - whether on Facebook or elsewhere."
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.
"It's a sad fact that we are now seeing more cases where sex offenders are using social networking sites to conceal their identities in order to contact children."