KIDS as young as 14 are going missing for days at a time as part of a worrying new Facebook game called the "48-hour challenge".

The shocking challenge invites children to hide from their parents and loved ones for as long as possible, with participants awarded a higher score every time they are mentioned on social media.

1 Kids who take part in the challenge get a higher 'score' if their parents take to social media in a desperate bid to find them Credit: Reuters

This means that kids are given points if their frantic parents take to Facebook or Twitter to sound the alarm.

The latest "challenge" is very similar to the "Game of 72" which shocked the nation in 2015 by tellings kids to disappear for 24, 48 or even 72 hours.

One mum from Country Derry told Belfast Live that her child left the local area and was found some 55 hours later in Ballymena, a town in a totally different county.

“I was terrified they were dead or would be raped, trafficked or killed," she said.

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"But these kids just think it’s funny. There was not even a moment of remorse when my child was taken into police custody and when the police brought my child home, I could see posts of selfies from the police car."

Earlier this year, parents were warned that Facebook may never be able to fully protect users against exposure to horrific and violent acts being streamed on its Live platform.

The social network was rocked by a string of brutal murders, suicides and rapes that were broadcast online using its livestreaming feature, which was launched in April 2016.