Bereaved mum calls for parents to have access to their child's social media accounts
Ellen Roome is urging parents to back her campaign to create #JoolsLaw
Last updated 28th May 2024
A bereaved mum's launched a petition calling for parents to be given the right to access their child's social media accounts.
Ellen Roome's 14 year old son died suddenly after being found alone at home in 2022.
A coroner ruled he probably didn't intend to take his own life, and she believes his social media accounts might offer an insight into why he died.
But she's not been able to access the data - with one firm demanding a court order before it was prepared to offer its support.
Ellen now wants to create #JoolsLaw so that tech companies are duty-bound to allow parents to see what their children are doing online.
Calls for parents to access social media accounts
The petition reads: I want parents/guardians to have the right to be given access to their children's social media accounts, by social media providers, both when the child is alive and if they are deceased.
My son Jools was 14 when he took his life in 2022. At the time the new Coroner's powers to request social media access were not in force. However, I also think this is too late.
Since my son's death, I have not been able to access information to see what my son was looking at that could have contributed to him taking his own life.
Parents should have the right to full access to their child's social media accounts either whilst they are still alive (to protect them) or if they die as in my case.
You can read the petition in full on the government's Petition's Page
Bereaved mum asks other parents to support her campaign
Speaking to the Mental Health Monday Podcast, Ellen said: "Jools was the most amazing, happy, smiling boy. Very smart and very bright.
"I'm left, for the rest of my life thinking 'What happened?' I don't understand, and there could be something that could give me some answers.
"Jools isn't here, he was a minor, and I'm his parent, and surely I should have the right to see what he was looking at? But you can't. You can't, and that shocked me.
"There's got to be some way we can protect our children more. I think its wrong that as a parent I can't see his data - I think that's entirely wrong.
"It could save a child's life - if we could try and save one child's life that's all I want to do, make a difference to the children who are still here."
'I need people to sign the petition'
Ellen is urging other parents to sign the petition: "I can't change it for Jools but I could make a difference for other children.
"I have to get to 100,000 signatures so this is debated in Parliament properly and we are looking to protect our children.
"It's my job to put that in front of somebody and say 'this is not right'.
"I can make that work - I just need more people to sign the petition."
You can listen to Ellen speaking in full on the Mental Health Monday Podcast.
You can sign the petition here
We've approached two social media companies for comment.