January 11th 2025.
Ellen Roome, a 48-year-old mother, is on a mission to uncover the truth about her 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney's untimely death in April 2022. She strongly believes that it may have been the result of an online challenge gone wrong. But her efforts to access Jools's social media accounts for potential clues have been met with resistance from tech giants who have denied her access, citing privacy concerns.
Frustrated by their lack of cooperation, Ms. Roome has been tirelessly campaigning for the implementation of 'Jools' Law', which would grant parents the right to access their children's online activity after they pass away. This issue has gained significant attention and is scheduled to be debated in Parliament soon.
Ms. Roome is particularly interested in Jools's Instagram and TikTok accounts, as he was known to participate in various challenges that are often shared on these platforms. However, her requests for data from these companies have been met with indifference and a lack of concern. She shares, "They haven't cared at all. They're not remotely interested. They don't give a damn, and they just, quite frankly, don't care." She believes that these companies have the ability to redact personal information and provide her with relevant data without compromising anyone's privacy.
She further adds, "I don't need to see who said what, I want to know whether it was some kind of blackmail? Was it sextortion? Was it an online challenge?" Ms. Roome is determined to uncover the truth behind her son's death, as she believes that he had no mental health issues offline and was not a victim of bullying.
Jools was found unconscious in his bedroom, and a coroner's report stated that he had taken his own life. However, Ms. Roome is not convinced and believes that there may be more to the story. She reveals that Instagram has provided her with a list of Jools's contacts, but has refused to share any messages or browsing data. On the other hand, TikTok has informed her that the data has been deleted as per legal obligations, leaving her in a state of confusion and uncertainty.
A petition started by Ms. Roome to have this issue debated in Parliament has garnered over 126,000 signatures, highlighting the gravity of the situation. When asked about her message to MPs ahead of the debate, she emotionally states, "If they lost one of their children, I guarantee they would be doing what I'm doing, saying they want answers. They need to really think about that."
Ms. Roome's grief and determination to uncover the truth have taken a toll on her. She shares, "I fell apart at Christmas, the grief paralyzes you sometimes. My world has shattered, and it's going to be like that for the rest of my life. I'm just trying to stop it from happening to someone else." She reveals that TikTok has explained that Jools's watch and search history was deleted as per the law, but can be preserved if requested by the police. However, the data was not requested until 2024, after it had already been deleted. Instagram has been approached for comment on this matter.
Ms. Roome's plea for access to her son's online accounts is not just for her own closure, but also to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future. She hopes that her efforts will bring about a change and urge tech companies to take responsibility for the content shared on their platforms.
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