A mother who lost her 14-year-old son to suicide is urging for parents to have legal access to their children’s social media accounts to understand the reasons behind their deaths.
The Ellen Room has gathered over 100,000 signatures on a petition demanding that social media companies be mandated to provide data to parents in case of a child’s passing.
Currently, parents have no legal rights to know if their children are experiencing bullying, self-harm content, suicidal thoughts, or seeking help for mental health issues online.
Room expressed frustration over the lack of access to information after her son, Jules Sweeney, took his life in 2022 without any apparent signs of distress.
She emphasized the importance of understanding the circumstances leading to a child’s death, similar to how autopsies are performed for illnesses.
Highlighting a video of Jules appearing normal shortly before his passing, Roome believes social media could provide crucial insights.
The petition, backed by over 100,000 signatures, is set to be discussed in Parliament post the general election, involving a new petitions committee.
Roome, along with other parents, has engaged with authorities to secure automatic access to their deceased children’s data.
The group includes parents of Molly, who took her life after encountering harmful online content, and Archie, possibly influenced by a social media challenge.
Roome stressed the need for answers as a mother, considering various possible issues their children may have faced.
While the Online Safety Act enables coroners to access online data when investigating child suicides, parents still lack direct access to this vital information.
The need for privacy rights posthumously, as Room highlights, questions the protection of social media giants over grieving families.
Source: www.theguardian.com
