Gloucestershire mum pushes for change after child's death

The calls centre on automatically securing the online records of a deceased child so that evidence is preserved and made available to the investigating coroner.

Among those pressing for change is Ellen Roome, from Gloucestershire, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died.

Ms Roome believes her son’s death was linked to an online challenge.

Her case has prompted fresh scrutiny of how digital evidence is handled in child death investigations, with campaigners warning current laws are failing to protect critical information before it is deleted or withheld by tech platforms.

In the House of Lords, Baroness Kidron called for the government to support the automatic collection of a child’s online data—a proposal known as "Jools’ Law."

Baroness Kidron said: "Making the preservation (of data) automatic, offering a template of what information should be preserved and publicising that fact is the minimum we can do for parents whose children have been murdered or manipulated into extreme challenges or commit suicide as a result of online anxiety."

The proposed changes would also require updating statutory guidance for police to make online harm a primary line of inquiry, prompting the rapid seizure of digital devices and the immediate capture of account data.

Investigators would also be required to report any evidence online safety legislation may have been breached to the regulator Ofcom.

Baroness Barran backed the proposals.

She said: "Given how much of a child’s life is now lived online, it’s vital that it’s investigated properly and at the earliest opportunity."

Baroness Levitt, justice minister, paid tribute to bereaved families.

She said: "I pay tribute to every brave family who fought to understand the circumstances that led to the death of their own child."

However, she cautioned that a blanket legal approach might have unintended consequences.