The move means fans of the site will be able to report any unwanted or suspicious behaviour directly to child protection organisations.
Responding to mounting pressure from the Government and parents to protect its 23 million British users, it has now redesigned its abuse reporting system so users can alert the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) to any unwanted or inappropriate contact.
Managers have also agreed to establish a new 24-hour police hotline, dedicated to helping with emergencies, investigations and prosecutions.
The issue was thrust into the headlines last month following the conviction of serial rapist Peter Chapman who posed as a young boy on the site and went on to murder Darlington schoolgirl Ashleigh Hall.
The internet giant has been roundly criticised for defying calls to install a panic button on the networking site, and chiefs were yesterday urged to turn words into action following a four-hour showdown meeting in Washington DC with Jim Gamble, Britain's most senior official responsible for protecting youngsters online.
Though Mr Gamble said Facebook had not not agreed to his demands outright, he acknowledged the popular social networking destination was "one small step from doing the right thing".
Safety experts today hailed Facebook's new measures, which are designed to give individuals greater control of their online safety.
Independent child protection expert Mark Williams-Thomas termed the move "a considerable step forward in online safety" while Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute, said the site was "taking a thoughtful, proactive approach to safety on the web".
The Northern Echo
