Ellen Roome MBE
A Mother. A Campaigner. A Voice for Children.
I never imagined that losing my son would lead me into Parliament, the High Court, or meetings with government ministers and technology companies around the world. I would give anything for none of that to have happened.
I would simply want Jools back. Jools was my only child. He died in April 2022 at the age of just 14.
For almost two years after his death, I was simply trying to survive the unimaginable grief of losing my son. But when I eventually found the strength to begin asking questions about what had happened, I uncovered a system that was completely unprepared for the digital age.
Social media companies hold an extraordinary amount of information about children's online lives, what they watched, searched for, interacted with and were recommended. Yet I discovered that this potentially vital evidence could disappear before coroners or investigators even knew it existed. I realised that families were being denied answers, not because the evidence never existed, but because nobody had ensured it was preserved. That discovery changed the course of my life.
Turning Pain into Purpose
I founded Jools' Law to ensure that no other bereaved family would face the barriers I encountered.
What began as one mother's search for answers quickly became a national, and then international, campaign for change.
Within just nine days, before Parliament was dissolved for the General Election, over 126,000 people signed my petition calling for change, triggering a Parliamentary debate and placing children's online safety firmly on the political agenda.
Since then I have worked alongside ministers, parliamentarians, coroners, police forces, regulators, technology companies and bereaved families across the UK and internationally to reform the way digital evidence is handled following the death of a child.
In 2026, that campaign achieved a historic breakthrough.
The principles behind Jools' Law were incorporated into the Crime and Policing Act, requiring relevant online platforms to preserve a deceased child's digital data within five days of being notified of their death. For the first time, there is now a legal safeguard designed to prevent vital digital evidence from being lost before coroners and investigators have the opportunity to examine it.
It is a change that will help countless families in the years ahead.
My Fight for Jools
Although Jools' Law changed the law, my own search for answers continued.
In July 2026, the High Court granted my application for a fresh inquest into Jools' death after previously omitted social media evidence came to light. The original inquest was quashed, allowing Jools' digital life to be properly examined for the first time.
The judgment is believed to be the first of its kind in England and Wales, recognising that potentially significant social media evidence had not been available to the original inquest.
For me, this has never been about proving a particular outcome.
It has always been about ensuring that every piece of relevant evidence is available so that the truth can be established.
That is what every bereaved family deserves.
Looking Beyond Jools' Law
Securing the preservation of children's digital evidence was only the beginning. My work has increasingly focused on preventing tragedies before they happen. Children should not have harmful content pushed towards them by recommendation algorithms designed to maximise engagement. Technology companies have a responsibility to design products that place children's safety ahead of profit, and governments must ensure those responsibilities are properly enforced.
I continue to campaign for stronger online protections, greater corporate accountability and meaningful reforms that reduce the risks children face every day online.
The Personal Cost
Campaigning has changed my life in ways I never expected. Alongside the campaign, I have faced profound personal challenges, the breakdown of relationships, and having to leave the home where Jools spent his final days and where he died.
There have been moments when the weight of grief, legal battles and public scrutiny have brought me to my knees.
But if speaking openly about my journey helps another family avoid this heartbreak, then every difficult step has purpose.
A documentary currently in production follows this journey, capturing not only the campaign but also the personal reality of rebuilding a life after unimaginable loss.
You will see the victories. You will also see the moments when I thought I could not carry on. Both are part of the story.
Recognition
In the King's New Year Honours List 2026, I was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to children's online safety. While I am deeply honoured by that recognition, my greatest achievement is knowing that Jools' Law will help families long after my own journey is over.
Why I Continue
People often ask where I find the strength to keep going. The truth is simple. I don't have a choice.
Every time another family contacts me after losing their child, I am reminded why this work matters. Jools' Law was never just about my son.
It is about every child who deserves to be safe online. Every family who deserves answers.
And every parent who should never have to fight as hard as I have simply to discover the truth about what happened to their child.
That is why I will continue.