About me | Joolslaw

I’m Ellen Roome. When my son Jools died in April 2022, I discovered 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 are exposed to online. Yet in practice, families and even coroners often cannot obtain this information in time, before it is deleted or lost.

That is why I launched Jools’ Law – a campaign to ensure children’s social media data is automatically preserved the moment a death is reported, so coroners can establish the truth and families can get answers.

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 within 5 days of a child's death.
Release of that data to coroners, not directly to families, to ensure independence and safety
Clear, standardised processes so evidence is not missed because coroners or parents do not know which platforms or data types to request

Where the Current Law Falls Short

Under the current Online Safety framework, two legal tools exist, but both have serious gaps:

Data Preservation Notices (DPNs)
Ofcom can issue preservation notices, but only if coroners already know which services to name. There is no default list of platforms, meaning vital data can still be missed.

Coroner Information Notices (CINs)
Coroners must already know what data exists and which platforms to request it from.

Why These Gaps Matter

In practice, this system fails families and coroners:

Parents rarely have devices or usernames. In most cases, the police take them on the day a child dies.
Harmful content is often delivered via algorithms, not searches, and may never be requested.
Many coroners are not specialists in social media platforms and cannot request what they do not know exists.
Inquests are often opened and then suspended, creating a dangerous gap during which data may be deleted.

Without an automatic system, crucial evidence can be lost in the earliest days following a child’s death, when time is most critical.

That is why Data Preservation Notices must be issued automatically at the point a child’s death is reported, regardless of the status of the inquest.

Campaign Priorities

Through Jools’ Law, my campaign focuses on:

Automatic preservation, so no child’s data is lost in the crucial first hours and days
Standardised guidance for coroners, including a clear “menu” of platforms and data categories
Closing procedural gaps between police and coroners
Parliamentary change, to strengthen existing laws and create new safeguards for bereaved families

From Petition to Parliament

Jools’ Law began with a government petition. It required 100,000 signatures to be debated in Parliament. Due to a sudden general election, I had just nine days to reach that goal.

With the help of strangers who shared Jools’ story, the petition reached 126,033 signatures and was debated in Parliament.

Since then, I have continued to work with ministers and peers to push for stronger protections. While the Data (Use and Access) Act received Royal Assent, its provisions do not go far enough. Jools’ Law must go further to truly protect children’s data and give bereaved families answers.

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:
Automatic preservation of a child’s social media data when a death is reported.

Baroness Kidron has now tabled amendments in the House of Lords to make data preservation automatic following the death of a child.

Alongside Jools’ Law

Alongside campaigning for Jools’ Law, I also work with and support:

Click or Quit
An online safety campaign with 1decision for children, schools, and parents.
👉 Read more about Click or Quit

Papyrus – Prevention of Young Suicide
I actively fundraise for Papyrus, the UK charity dedicated to preventing suicide in young people.
👉 Donate to Papyrus

Bereaved Families for Online Safety
A group of families united by loss, campaigning for stronger online safety laws and accountability from tech companies.
👉 Read more about Bereaved Families for Online Safety