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Live Reporting
Edited by Martia Moloney
All times stated are UK
Family of Jools Sweeney still searching for answers
Copyright: BBC
The mother of a 14-year-old who died after what she believes could have been an online challenge attempt says it's "wrong" she can't access some of his social media accounts without a court order.
Ellen Roome says her son Jools Sweeney was "a happy, regular, normal child" before he died.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Roome says there is still some uncertainty around her son's death.
"We don't know why he did what he did. The coroner didn't rule that it was suicide because they couldn't prove he was in a suicidal mood," she says.
Roome says she has tried to access his social media, including his TikTok account but the company has denied her request.
"TikTok have just said no - without a court order you can't do that."
Roome, along with other families who make up Bereaved Parents for Online Safety group, are campaigning for the right to allow families and coroners to access data from tech companies where there is reason to believe it holds information relevant to a death.
Most of the tech companies contacted by the BBC have declined to respond to the draft measures announced by Ofcom today.
Who signed the letter to Starmer and Sunak?
Esther Ghey, whose daughter Brianna was murdered age 16 in February 2023, is among the parents who have signed the letter. She has previously called for age restrictions on smart phones to prevent young people from accessing harmful material.
Ian Russell - whose daughter Molly, 14, took her own life in 2017 after viewing suicide and self-harm content on social media - has also signed the letter. Along with Esther Ghey, he met Ofcom leaders recently to discuss the reforms.
Mariano Janin is another signatory. In March, he spoke to the BBC after the death of his 14-year-old daughter Mia in 2021, who was subjected to cyber-bullying.
Breck Bednar, 14, was murdered in 2014 after being lured to his killer’s flat after being groomed through online gaming. Another eight families will also share their stories this morning.
Image caption: Molly Russell, 14, died in November 2017 after viewing suicide and self-harm content onlineCopyright: Handout
How have bereaved parents responded?
Image caption: Some of the bereaved families, speaking to BBC Breakfast on Wednesday morningCopyright: BBC
Campaign group Bereaved Families for Online Safety have written to the prime minister and leader of the opposition.
They welcome today’s steps to protect children as an “important moment” but warn “much more still needs to be done”.
The letter accuses Ofcom of a “lack of ambition” and says its proposals don’t do enough to tackle grooming and sexual abuse, or content that promotes violence, suicide and self-harm among young people.
The parents have urged Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer to take further action after the next general election regardless of who is in power, appealing to them“as senior politicians but also fathers”.
Their letter calls for stronger social media regulation, intervention in the AI industry and more education in schools about online safety, mental health and suicide prevention.
Firms which don’t comply, the families say, should face bans from operating in the UK.
Quote Message: As bereaved parents, we have consistently been driven by a belief we can and must act to make sure no other child loses their life - and that no other family suffers in the way that we have done.
As bereaved parents, we have consistently been driven by a belief we can and must act to make sure no other child loses their life - and that no other family suffers in the way that we have done.
Quote Message: We owe our children nothing less than ensuring the online world changes completely and comprehensively, and we know many millions of parents also share that vision." from Bereaved Families for Online Safety
We owe our children nothing less than ensuring the online world changes completely and comprehensively, and we know many millions of parents also share that vision."
What is Ofcom proposing?
Ofcom, which regulates online safety, has published a proposed new set of rules it says will help keep children safe online from graphic content and material which promotes violence or self-harm.
It comes after the UK adopted the Online Safety Act last year, which imposes tougher rules on sites that can be accessed by children.
Ofcom's new rules feature more than 40 practical measures, including age verification processes to stop children accessing harmful material.
Social media firms will be told to make changes to their algorithms, in order to ensure adult or inappropriate material is filtered out.
Companies will also be told they must take swift action to remove dangerous material if it slips through the net.
A big day for children's online safety
Good morning, and thank you for joining us on a big day for children's safety online.
All morning BBC Breakfast, we will be hearing from the families of 12 young people whose deaths were linked to social media and harmful content online.
Their appearance comes as Ofcom, the regulator responsible for online safety, publishes its proposed new rules for tech firms, which it says will help keep children safe.
But the bereaved families we’ll be hearing from today have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to say they fear the changes announced today don’t go far enough.
We’ll also hear from Science Secretary Michelle Donelan and Ofcom chief executive Melanie Dawes.You can watch the discussion live by pressing the Play button at the top of this page.
