Mother made MBE for online safety campaign after death of teenage son
Ellen Roome’s 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney took his own life in 2022.
A mother who is campaigning for improvements to children’s online safety following the death of her teenage son has spoken of the bittersweet moment she learned she had been made an MBE in the New Year Honours list.
Ellen Roome, 49, is fighting for a change in the law to force social media firms to hand over children’s data to bereaved parents.
She launched the campaign after her 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney took his own life in 2022.
Ms Roome, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, is now being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to children’s online safety.
“I don’t know how to sum it up, I guess just unexpected,” she told the Press Association.
“I am delighted that people are listening and that I’ve had attention and people have realised what I’m trying to achieve.”
She said the honour would help raise the profile of her campaign and that of children’s online safety.
“I think everybody’s talking about online safety and children’s issues and if I can help build awareness by bringing forward my own issues in my life, which is what I’ve done,” she said.
“I’ve tried to make Jools’ life public to make it safe for other children that are still alive.
“This is all about making a difference for the children that are still here and the ones we can still save.
“I would give this award back in a heartbeat if it brought Jools back.
“This isn’t about recognition, it’s about trying to make a difference for the children that are still here and for the bereaved parents I’ve met that also want answers.
“This has never been about recognition and reward, it’s just been purely about driving change and making a difference.”
Ms Roome believes her son’s death could have been linked to an online challenge gone wrong.
She sold the financial services business she had run for 18 years to campaign for “Jools’ Law” – a right for parents to access their deceased child’s data without a court order – and wider changes to social media, which she described as “not safe”.
Ms Roome said digital checks should form part of the post-mortem and inquest process, similar to a toxicology report to look for drugs and alcohol.
