The government has confirmed that it is introducing Jools' Law to automatically preserve childrens' social media data following a death – a major victory for Cheltenham mum and social media safety activist, Ellen Roome MBE, who has been campaigning for the law to be debated in parliament.
Jools' Law is an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which demands that social media companies ensure childrens' online data is preserved before it can be deleted, except in cases where their online activity is clearly not relevant to the death.
Named after Ellen's late son, Jools Sweeney, whose sudden death at the age of 14 in April 2022 remains unexplained, Jools' Law aims to protect bereaved families from the torment of not knowing what their children were looking at online before their deaths – and hold social media companies accountable for the content children see.
Ellen has worked cross party with MPs, peers and other families across the UK to push for reform – and was awarded an MBE in the King's New Year Honours for her services to child online safety.
She said: 'On Friday 13 (February 2026), Liz Kendall rang me herself to tell me the government would introduce automatic data preservation for children following a death. She thanked me for my national campaigning to show the flaws in the current Data Preservation laws.
'It was a call I have fought for over the last two years, ever since I was refused access to Jools’ social media data despite being his mother. No parent should have to beg social media companies not to delete their child’s data. No parent should be left in the dark, wondering what happened in their child’s final hours.
'Jools’ Law will mean that evidence is preserved automatically within five days of a child dying. Parents will not have to beg for data to be preserved whilst in shock and grief.
'This is about answers. It is about accountability. And it is about protecting families at the worst moment of their lives. Also, once we can prove what children have actually seen online, we can fully begin to hold social media companies properly accountable.'
Jools' Law is part of a package of online safety measures which Prime Minister Keir Starmer has revealed, with the government saying 'no platform gets a free pass'.
Alongside introducing Jools' Law, it plans to crack down on illegal AI-generated content by shutting a legal loophole and forcing all AI chatbot providers to abide by illegal content duties in the Online Safety Act or face consequences.
The government is also launching the children’s digital wellbeing consultation in March 2026, where it will consider the full range of risks that children face online and take new legal powers to lay the groundwork for immediate action following the consultation, rather than having to wait years for legislation to catch up.
These actions include introducing minimum age limits for social media; restricting features such as infinite scrolling; and considering restrictions on childrens' access to AI chatbots.
The Prime Minister said: 'As a dad of two teenagers, I know the challenges and the worries that parents face making sure their kids are safe online. Technology is moving really fast and the law has got to keep up. With my government, Britain will be a leader not a follower when it comes to online safety.
'The action we took on Grok sent a clear message that no platform gets a free pass. Today we are closing loopholes that put children at risk and laying the groundwork for further action.
'We are acting to protect children’s wellbeing and help parents to navigate the minefield of social media.'
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has also launched its 'You Won't Know until You Ask' campaign, to offer parents practical guidance on safety settings, as well as conversation prompts and age-appropriate advice on how to deal with harmful content such as ragebate and misogynistic material online.
Ellen continued: 'This change has come because people listened. Because bereaved parents spoke out. Because parliament heard us. But my work is not finished.
'I am still waiting for the attorney general’s decision on whether I can apply to the High Court for a fresh inquest into Jools’ death. This new law is not retrospective, so it will not help me, but it will help other bereaved families.
'Data preservation is the first step. Access and accountability must follow. We must go further, we also must to do more to stop children being harmed or dying in the first place.'
