UK Mother Seeks Legal Right to Access Deceased Child’s Social Media

Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney took his own life in 2022, is campaigning for parents to access social media accounts of deceased children to understand the reasons behind their deaths. She has gathered over 100,000 signatures on a petition urging social media platforms to provide this data. Currently, parents lack the legal right to see their child's online activities.

Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney took his own life in 2022, is advocating for parents to have the legal right to access their deceased child’s social media accounts to understand the reasons behind their death.

Roome has gathered over 100,000 signatures on a petition calling for social media companies to provide data access to parents in such cases.

Currently, parents have no legal right to access their child’s online activities, which may include indications of bullying, harmful content, or suicidal ideation.

The petition’s success may prompt a parliamentary debate after the next general election.

Roome, along with a group of affected parents, met with government and Ofcom representatives to discuss this issue.

Coroners were given more powers under the Online Safety Act, effective from April 1, 2023, to access online data during suicide investigations.

However, these measures do not extend access rights to parents.

Roome and other parents, including Ian Russell and the parents of Archie Battersbee, continue to push for changes to help find answers about their children's final hours.