In the wake of last week's landmark addiction ruling against technology giants Google and Meta, a grieving mother has shared her harrowing story of loss and her determined fight for accountability. Ellen Roome, 49, believes social media platforms bear direct responsibility for the death of her teenage son, Jools, and has spent four years battling Silicon Valley in courts across both the United Kingdom and the United States.
A Mother's Unimaginable Loss
In April 2022, after enjoying a day at the races in Cheltenham, Ellen Roome returned home to discover her 14-year-old son Jools unresponsive in his bedroom. Just over an hour earlier, CCTV footage captured Jools laughing and saying goodbye to his best friend Monty, following a day filled with normal teenage activities like playing football and using the family fire pit.
'It was a lovely, sunny day,' Roome recounted. 'I rang Jools, he had been playing football. He had been playing on a boat. He'd used our fire pit. I told him we had marshmallows in the cupboard.'
'At 8:46, you can see he says goodbye to his friend on our cameras. He is laughing and tells them: "See you later."'
No Evidence of Suicide Intent
A brief 23-minute inquest into Jools's death found no evidence that the teenager was suicidal. Roome remains convinced that her son was exposed to dangerous content on social media during that final hour, content she believes directly precipitated his death. Despite being his mother, social media companies informed her she had no legal right to access his personal data.
'You can see on our camera, he does not look sad, miserable, depressed - he is literally laughing,' Roome said. 'Monty had been with him all day. He had no suspicions, nobody had any suspicions. A normal 14-year-old child does not end their life for no reason at all.'
Legal Battles and Legislative Change
Roome's relentless campaigning has already yielded significant change in UK law. An amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, informally known as Jools' Law, now requires social media companies to preserve the data of deceased children. Previously, such data could be deleted from a device within just 30 days of inactivity.
However, because Jools's case was concluded before this law was enacted, it does not apply to her situation. Roome is currently applying to the High Court to reopen his inquest, a legal maneuver that would grant her the ability to pursue his social media data through judicial channels.
International Legal Action
Simultaneously, Roome is pursuing a lawsuit against TikTok in the United States. This case has the potential to compel the platform to disclose exactly what content Jools was shown during his final hours. Her efforts were recognized in January when she was awarded an MBE for her extraordinary advocacy work.
Hope from Landmark Ruling
Roome stated that bereaved parents have been given renewed hope by the recent landmark ruling in the United States against Meta and Google. A Los Angeles jury found these companies liable for deliberately designing their platforms to addict children, awarding $6 million in damages.
Nevertheless, Roome warns that the United Kingdom risks falling behind in legislating against the harms posed by social media. She is urging the government to take immediate action rather than waiting for more children to suffer.
'These companies feed children harmful content. They do not take any accountability for what our children have seen or are still seeing. It just has to change,' Roome asserted.
Call for Stronger Regulation
'The UK really needs to step up. I wholeheartedly support Lord Nash's amendment in the House of Lords to raise the age of access to 16. Why are we waiting for more children to be harmed and die? I cannot get my head around it.'
Roome drew a powerful analogy to illustrate her point: 'If it was a toy, a car, it would be removed, fixed and then delivered back when it was safe. We are not doing that with social media, but we have proved the product is faulty. They need to fix it.'
For individuals seeking help and support, the Samaritans offer a free, completely anonymous service from a UK phone on 116 123, or through their website at samaritans.org.
