Twitter exchange between Demi Moore and a suicidal 18-year-old may have prevented the teen from taking his life, it has been claimed.

Nia Vardalos, a member of the popular social networking website, read the messages exchanged between the actress and the boy, who threatened to hang himself in a tree outside of his Florida home.

Vardalos later contacted a suicide prevention centre in Los Angeles, informing authorities of the boy’s intentions, according to TMZ.

The celebrity website claimed to have procured details of the phone call made between the centre and Florida authorities.

Officials managed to locate the guy with the help of the information on his Twitter account provided by Nia.

The police report apparently said the teenager was “sitting at his computer desk crying” when they found him. He was later placed under protective custody