A petition started by a Cheltenham mother to give parents a right to access their children's social media accounts will be debated in Parliament next Monday (January 13).

The petition was started by Ellen Roome, following the sudden death of her son Julian 'Jools' Sweeney in 2022, at the age of 14.

Ellen and Jools' father, Matthew Sweeney, don't know why Jools died, but fear social media played a part. Ellen was refused access to her son's social media without a court order.

She started a petition to get the law changed and needed 100,000 signatures so that the proposed Jools Law, to give parents access to their children's social media, would get a debate in Parliament.

In response to the petition, which received 126,300 signatures, the government said: "The government is committed to tackling the harm children face online and we will look at how we can support families to see information about a child's internet use following a bereavement.

"I would like to thank all those who signed the petition on this incredibly important issue. Every death is a tragedy but extremely so when it involves a young person, and I am grateful to the brave parents who continue to fight for greater protections for children online.

"Children face significant harm online and the government is committed to finding ways in which we can strengthen protections for children and support those families who have had to endure unimaginable losses. We understand that families want answers and to be able to access information about a child's internet use following a bereavement, and it is crucial that companies respond to parents' requests for information in a humane and transparent way."

Speaking last year, Ellen said: "As a parent, we should have the right to view his social media. We don't. We think this is wrong.

"We should be able to see what he was watching and what/ who could have put ideas into his head to end his life. All parents should have this right, whether their children are alive or dead."

An inquest in 2022 found that Jools, who was in year 10 at Balcarras School, probably didn't intend to take his own life.

The debate will be available to watch online on the UK Parliament YouTube channel.