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Amber Alerts save lives, but experts warn of growing 'alarm fatigue' and the psychology behind some people's frustration
Дата публикации: 06-08-2026 19:24:48
A large majority of Amber Alerts relate to a child being taken by a noncustodial parent or relative. And so, if the public decides this does not fit their model of an emergency situation, there's an immediate disconnect
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A large majority of Amber Alerts relate to a child being taken by a noncustodial parent or relative. And so, if the public decides this does not fit their model of an emergency situation, there's an immediate disconnect
Published Aug 06, 2026 • Last updated 6 days ago • 4 minute read
Amber Alert fatigue can happen when people do not think they can immediately help. Jim Wells/PostmediaThe still of the night is broken when an Amber Alert blares across phones, the public reaction is often immediate — and divided. Some people begin searching for the missing child, others go back to bed, others vent online, questioning why they received the alert or complaining about being woken up.
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Experts say the latter has less to do with a lack of empathy and more to do with how the human brain responds to emergency warnings.
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“In principle, everyone agrees Amber Alerts are a great idea,” said Dr. Janine Hubbard, president of the Canadian Psychological Association.
Hubbard is also a clinical psychologist with Pediatric Psychology Services at Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre in St. John’s, N.L.
“The alert mobilizes your body’s emergency system. It wakes you up. Your adrenalin starts going. It’s the same type of activation as a tornado warning or an evacuation order,” she said.
The problem, however, begins when people are thrust into an emergency without knowing what meaningful action they can take.
” ‘You’ve mobilized me, but there’s nothing I can do.’ That creates frustration in some people,” Hubbard said.
According to the Canada’s Missing website, Amber Alerts are issued only when police believe a child under 18 has been abducted, is in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death, and if there is enough descriptive information to assist the public in locating the child.
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Jacob Westfall, chief technology officer with Alberta-based public safety tech and software company PEASI, said public expectations often don’t match the reality of how Amber Alerts work.
“For a majority of Amber Alerts, the fact is a non-custodial parent, (or someone related) has taken the child,” he said. “If the public decides this does not fit their model, that immediate disconnect can happen.
“People receive an alert and think, ‘Police sent this directly to me because I can rescue this child,’ ” he said. “If it’s four o’clock in the morning or the child is a thousand kilometres away, people immediately wonder why they received it.”
Westfall said this disconnect fuels much of the criticism seen on social media.
“In reality, stranger abductions are extremely rare,” he said.
Despite public perception, Hubbard was surprised to learn most Amber Alerts are not triggered by ‘stranger’ kidnappings, or children wandering away on their own, but custody breakdowns.
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She stressed, however, that police do not issue Amber Alerts simply because a custody order has been violated, there still has to be an imminent, real danger to the child.
“There has to be an immediate concern for serious harm or death to the child. That could involve access to weapons, substance use, severe mental illness or someone experiencing psychosis,” she said.
Hubbard added that one reason people might criticize Amber Alerts online is because the alerts often provide limited information.
“The more incomplete the information, the more people fill in the blanks themselves,” she said. “People don’t like uncertainty.”
She also warned of a growing phenomenon known as “alarm fatigue” — when people hear emergency alarms over and over again, they stop paying attention.
It’s also not just Amber Alerts where this complacency occurs.
“It’s wildfire alerts, tornado warnings, weather notifications, smoke alarms — eventually the brain begins tuning them out. People become more likely to dismiss an alert before they’ve even processed what it says,” Hubbard said.
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“That’s concerning because the next alert might not be an Amber Alert at all. It could be an immediate danger in their own neighbourhood.”
Westfall agreed police agencies could improve public confidence by providing additional context, maps and follow-up updates that explain why an Amber Alert met the legal threshold.
“More information means fewer questions. People want to know why they’re being alerted and whether there’s something they can realistically do,” he said.
He also suggested provinces explore more geographically targeted alerts. Quebec already begins with regional notifications before expanding them if necessary — a model Westfall believes could reduce some frustration.
Amber Alerts remain relatively uncommon compared to other emergency notifications. In 2025, Canada issued only a handful of Amber Alerts, while Alert Ready distributed hundreds of alerts for tornadoes, wildfires and other public emergencies.
For Hubbard, the takeaway is simple.
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“When people know there’s something useful they can do, communities respond incredibly well,” she said. “The challenge isn’t that people don’t care about missing children. It’s making sure emergency alerts give people enough information to turn concern into action.”
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