A Mother’s Fight for Justice and Accountability
Ellen Roome, a 49-year-old mother from the UK, has spent the last four years battling Silicon Valley in both UK and US courts. Her mission is to hold tech giants accountable for the dangers their platforms pose to children. In January 2023, she was awarded an MBE for her extraordinary campaigning efforts. Roome’s journey began after the tragic death of her 14-year-old son, Jools, who passed away in April 2022 under mysterious circumstances.
On that fateful day, Roome returned home from the races in Cheltenham and entered her son’s bedroom to find him unresponsive. Just over an hour earlier, Jools had been seen laughing and saying goodbye to his best friend Monty on the family’s CCTV cameras. The 23-minute inquest into Jools’s death found no evidence of suicide, leaving Roome convinced that harmful content on social media played a role in his death.
Roome described the events of that day in detail. She recalled how Jools had been playing football, using the family’s fire pit, and even mentioned marshmallows in the cupboard. At 8:46 PM, he said goodbye to Monty, still smiling and laughing. Roome called him again at 9:56 PM, but he didn’t answer. She returned home about an hour later and discovered her son in his room, having ended his own life.
Despite being his mother, social media companies refused to grant her access to his data. Roome emphasized that Jools did not appear sad or depressed during the final moments captured on camera. His friend Monty had been with him all day, and neither of them showed any signs of distress. As a parent, Roome went through every possible scenario, wondering if Jools had been blackmailed or involved in a challenge gone wrong.
Roome believes that Jools did not intend to end his life. She tried to access his search history and social media accounts but was blocked by the platforms. She argued that a normal 14-year-old child does not end their life without reason. She felt that something had been missed, and his social media activity had never been properly examined.
Her efforts have led to significant changes in UK law. An amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, known as Jools’ Law, now requires social media companies to preserve the data of deceased children. Previously, this data could be deleted within as little as 30 days of inactivity. However, since Jools’ case was closed before the law was introduced, it does not apply to her. Roome is currently applying to the High Court to reopen his inquest, which would allow her to pursue his social media data through the courts.
Separately, she is suing TikTok in the United States, hoping to uncover what Jools was shown in his final hours. Roome expressed hope that the recent landmark ruling against Meta and Google in the US, which found them liable for designing platforms to addict children, would lead to meaningful change. A Los Angeles jury awarded $6 million in damages in that case.
However, she warns that the UK is at risk of falling behind in legislating against social media harms. Roome calls on the government to act now rather than wait for more children to be harmed. She supports Lord Nash’s amendment in the House of Lords to raise the age of access to 16, arguing that social media should be treated like a faulty product that needs to be fixed before being returned to users.
Roome stressed that these companies feed children harmful content and do not take accountability for what children see. She believes the UK must step up its efforts to make social media safer. If it were a toy or a car, the product would be removed, fixed, and delivered back when safe. Social media, however, remains unchecked despite clear evidence of harm.
For help and support, individuals can call the Samaritans for free from a UK phone, completely anonymously, on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.
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