‘I thought social media was silly fun – now my son is dead and I wish I’d never given it to him’
Ellen Roome is advocating for a ban on social media platforms following the death of her son, Jools Sweeney, who she believes may have died due to an online challenge. She is meeting with Sir Keir Starmer as part of a government consultation on this issue. Roome reflects on her initial belief that social media was harmless, expressing regret for allowing her son to use it.
- ▪Jools Sweeney died in 2022 at the age of 14, and his mother believes his death was linked to a viral online challenge.
- ▪Ellen Roome is calling for social media platforms to be removed until they can prove they are safe for children.
- ▪She is applying for a new inquest to investigate the role of social media in her son's death.
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NewsUKHome News‘I thought social media was silly fun – now my son is dead and I wish I’d never given it to him’Jooles Sweeney took his own life in 2022 and his mother Ellen Roome believes his death could have been linked to an online challenge gone wrongAlex Ross Tuesday 26 May 2026 12:51 BSTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":false,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2983499","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/social-media-ban-children-starmer-jools-sweeney-b2983499.html","title":"‘I thought social media was silly fun – now my son is dead’"}}The father of Molly Russell, who died…
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