How to Request Social Media Data for a Deceased Child

Once again today, I have been contacted by a journalist informing me of another devastated family, this time in Lincolnshire, whose teenager has tragically taken their own life. My heart breaks knowing the engulfing pain they are now living with.

Coroners already have the legal powers they need, they just need to be used

What angers me is hearing that the Coroner in this case is apparently applying to the High Court to access the young person’s social media data. This is simply not necessary. The inquest has not yet taken place, and under current law, the Coroner does not need to go to the High Court.

This highlights, yet again, the serious lack of training for both Police and Coroners. Families are left crying out for answers while those who should know how to act are either unaware of their powers or uncertain about the correct procedure. In the meantime, vital data is at risk of being lost or deleted.

The process should be straightforward:

Since April 2024, coroners have had the power under Section 101 of the Online Safety Act to ask Ofcom to issue a Coroner Information Notice (CIN) to online platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, Meta or Google. This notice requires the platform to provide information about a child’s online activity that may be relevant to their death. There is no need for a High Court application.

In addition, the government has confirmed that the new powers to issue Data Preservation Notices (DPNs), which force platforms to preserve a child’s data so it cannot be deleted during an investigation, will now come into force by the end of September 2025, several months earlier than originally planned. Once active, DPNs will make it a criminal offence for companies to delete or alter a deceased child’s data once notified.

Until then, coroners should continue to use Section 101 powers via Ofcom to secure data for an inquest. The two powers will work side by side:

• Section 101 CINs → to access a child’s online data.

• DPNs (from September 2025) → to preserve a child’s online data so it is not lost.

Both Ofcom and the Chief Coroner’s Office have made clear that coroners should be working with Ofcom early in an investigation, and that police must inform coroners quickly under “golden hour” procedures so that vital data is not deleted before it can be secured.

A Practical Checklist for Bereaved Families

It makes me deeply angry that bereaved families are expected to do this themselves. In the aftermath of losing a child, no parent is in a fit state to navigate complex legal processes just to stop vital evidence from being lost.

This is precisely why I continue to fight for Jools’ Law, because securing and preserving a child’s online data should happen automatically. No parent should have to beg for it, chase officials, or risk losing potential evidence that could help explain what happened to their child.

If you are a bereaved parent and need social media data to be preserved or accessed for your child’s inquest:

1. Ask the coroner directly:

   
   

   “Have you requested a Coroner Information Notice under Section 101 of the Online Safety Act?”

   
   

2. Confirm the process:

   
   

   • The coroner must go through Ofcom, not directly to Apple, Meta, or other companies.

   • Ofcom will then issue the legal notice to the relevant platform.

   
   

3. Raise urgency with police:

   
   

   • Remind them of their duty under the “golden hour” principle — coroners should be notified immediately after a child’s death so that online data can be preserved.

   
   

4. Keep records:

   
   

   • Ask for written confirmation from the coroner or police of any requests made to Ofcom.

   • Note dates and names of those you spoke with.

   
   

5. From September 2025 onwards:

   
   

   • In addition to CINs, coroners will be able to ask Ofcom to issue a Data Preservation Notice (DPN), making it illegal for a platform to delete your child’s data once notified.

   
   

No parent should ever have to fight to stop vital evidence from being lost. Coroners already have the legal powers they need; they simply need to use them. I believe this process should happen automatically (which isn't the law YET) on the death of a child, without grieving families having to push for it.