As Sir Keir Starmer unveiled a social media ban for under-16s on Monday morning, Ellen Roome was among seven bereaved parents sat on a sofa together watching inside a television studio.
Following years of campaigning – and a meeting with the prime minister last month – they already had a good idea of what was about to be unveiled, but when it was announced, emotions still gripped them all.
“It was momentous, and very emotional sitting with other bereaved parents as we’d all done this desperately to try to make a difference, and it sounded like we’ve been heard and that change is coming,” Ms Roome told The Independent.
She also told PA: “We did all shed a tear…. it was a very powerful but important moment.”
It will be just over four years since Ms Roome’s son, Jools Sweeney, died aged 14 in 2022. Described as a “really happy, fun-living, popular kid”, the schoolboy had been out for the day with friends, playing football and having pizza, before being found dead inside the family home in Cheltenham.
Ms Roome suspects his death could be linked to an online challenge gone wrong.
Since his death, as well as fighting for the release his search history, she has been campaigning along with other online parents to improve online safety.
Last month she met Sir Keir as part of the government consultation ahead of the social media ban announced today. The restrictions, set to be passed by Christmas and in place by spring next year, will leave technology firms, rather than children, liable for enforcement action if they fail to comply.
Finer details on how it will work will be unveiled by science, innovation and technology minister Liz Kendall on Monday afternoon.
Ms Roome said: “We’ve campaigned hard to actually make a difference and he [Sir Keir] certainly sounds like he’s listened. It was only a month ago that we were in a meeting with him in Downing Street and he seems to have taken on board what we’ve said as a group of brave parents, that actually we need to make a difference to the rest of the children in the UK
“It’s too late for our children but we can do something for the rest of the children.”
She added: “I’ve always said if I can make one positive thing as the loss of my child and that’s what I aim to do… and he [Sir Keir] seems to be putting the wheels in motion to actually do something about it.”
At an inquest following Jools’ death, a coroner gave a narrative verdict on his death in which he was unable to rule out his death as suicide.
Since then, Ms Roome, who said her son had showed no signs of depression, has asked social media companies for her son’s browsing history to shed light on why he died – but so far this has been denied, she said.
Now, however, she hopes to secure a new inquest at which, under amendments to the Online Safety Act, a coroner will be able to make demands of the tech companies for information.
She said: “I’ll stop campaigning until somebody says there is nothing else. I don’t know why my son’s not alive and that is not acceptable. No parent should have to live the rest of their life not knowing why their child’s not alive.
“It feels good we’ve made a difference today.”
