Welcome to Jools’ Law

​

I'm Ellen Roome.  When my son Jools died in April 2022, I discovered firsthand how difficult it is for bereaved families to access their child’s online data. Social media companies hold vital evidence about what children see, share, and experience online; however, the current system makes it almost impossible for families or even coroners to obtain this information in a timely manner before data is lost or deleted. 

That’s why I launched Jools’ Law: a campaign to make sure children’s social media data is automatically preserved the moment a death is reported. Without this safeguard, evidence disappears, families are left without answers, and opportunities to protect other children are lost.​

​​

What is Jools’ Law?

​

Jools’ Law calls for:

• Automatic preservation of children’s online data when a death is reported.

• Release of that data to coroners, not directly to families, to ensure independence and safety.

• Clear processes and default standards so evidence isn’t missed because coroners or parents don’t know which platforms or data types to request.

​​​​

Where the Current Law Falls Short

​

Under the new Online Safety framework, two legal tools exist – but both have critical gaps:

• Data Preservation Notices (DPNs): From 30 September 2025, Ofcom can issue preservation notices – but only if coroners provide details of specific services. There is no default list of platforms, so much may still be missed.

• Coroner Information Notices (CINs): Coroners must already know which services to request data from and what to obtain.

​

These gaps mean:

​

• Parents rarely have the devices or usernames – in most cases, the police take them on the day a child dies. This means families are not in a position to provide coroners with the information about accounts that may exist. The system, therefore, needs to function without relying on parents having access to the child’s usernames, which they may not know anyway.

• Feeds vs searches – harmful content is often fed to children via algorithms, not just what they actively search for. Any Ofcom template for coroners must prompt them to request information on both types of content.

• Coroners’ knowledge gap – many coroners will not be familiar with social media platforms themselves. That makes it even more critical that the Ofcom template is structured, practical, and prompts them about the types of data available.

• Automatic preservation – I think there is a strong case for Ofcom to issue automatic Data Preservation Notices to a standard set of major regulated services whenever a child’s death is reported. This would ensure immediate preservation while relieving coroners and families of an impossible burden, and could then be supplemented by additional requests once specific accounts are identified. Quite often with children’s deaths, an inquest is opened and then suspended, creating a dangerous gap because, unless there is an automatic system in place, coroners may not be able to issue DPNs during that suspended period. In practice, this could mean that crucial data is lost in the early days following a child’s death, when time is most critical. It may be many months, potentially years, before the coroner is instructed to proceed, by which point the opportunity to preserve vital evidence may have passed. That is why any solution must ensure that DPNs are issued automatically at the point of a child’s death being reported, regardless of the status of the inquest.

​

My Campaign Priorities

​

Through Jools’ Law, I am working to change this system. My campaign focuses on:

​

• Automatic preservation – so no child’s data is lost in the crucial first hours and days.

• Standardised guidance for coroners – a clear “menu” of data categories and platforms.

• Closing procedural gaps – so handovers between coroners and police do not result in lost evidence.

• Parliamentary change – pushing for amendments to existing laws and new safeguards for bereaved families.

​

When I first launched the campaign, I started with a government petition. It needed 100,000 signatures to be debated in Parliament. Due to a sudden general election, I discovered I had just nine days to reach that goal. With the help of complete strangers who shared Jools’ story, I achieved the impossible – finishing with 126,033 signatures.

​

👉 Read more about the petition and debate in Parliament »

​

However, whilst this generated a great debate, I knew it couldn’t stop there. I went on to meet with ministers to push for Jools’ Law to be included in the Data Use and Access Bill, which at that time was working its way through Parliament. That bill went on to receive Royal Assent, but I wanted more than the limited provisions it offered. Jools’ Law must go further to truly protect children’s data and give bereaved families the answers they deserve.

​

I am now taking Jools’ Law back to Parliament, and I will be sharing my new plan very soon on how we can turn this campaign into real law.​

 

Why This Matters

No parent should have to fight for scraps of information about their child’s final moments online. No coroner should have to guess which platforms might hold vital evidence. And no child’s death should go unexplained because data was deleted before anyone acted.

​

Jools’ Law is simple:
The automatic preservation of a child’s social media data the moment a death is reported – ensuring coroners can access the truth, and families can get answers.

 

Get Involved

• Follow me on social media #Joolslaw

• Contact me