Show Notes
In this episode of Sense Check, host Nicola Thorp sits down with Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Julian “Jools” Sweeney tragically died in April 2022.
Ellen believes Jools's death is directly linked to the content he was viewing on social media.
Now, she is on a mission to save other children. After being blocked from accessing her son's TikTok data, Ellen is taking legal action against the platform and successfully campaigning to change UK law so bereaved parents can automatically access their children's online data—efforts that recently earned her a Pride of Britain award.
In this interview, Ellen shares advice for parents navigating the digital age and urges families to adopt a strict "no phones in the bedroom" rule to stop late-night doomscrolling and advises delaying smartphone ownership for as long as possible.
Watch to hear Ellen’s powerful story and learn how you can better protect your children from unseen online harms.
In relation to Ms Roome’s case, a TikTok spokesman previously told the Mirror: “Our deepest sympathies remain with these families. We strictly prohibit content that promotes or encourages dangerous behaviour. Using robust detection systems and dedicated enforcement teams to proactively identify and remove this content, we remove 99% that's found to break these rules before it is reported to us. As a company, we comply with the UK’s strict data protection laws.”
For mental health support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, email them at [email protected] or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from Sense Check
This week on Sense Check, Nicola Thorp is joined by PoliticsJOE’s Ava Santina to unpack the fallout from ITV’s explosive undercover documentary on Reform UK.
In this first episode of Sense Check with Nicola Thorp; Angela Rayner insists she never consider walking away from frontline politics when she was forced to resign from the heart of government over her tax affairs.