The UK government is introducing a new law to give bereaved families the right of access to their children’s online data after death. It is known colloquially as Jools’ Law, after the 14-year-old whose death remains unexplained but is thought to be linked to his online experience. It will automatically preserve a child’s social media activity so it can be investigated before it is deleted.
The origin of Jools’ Law
The measure is part of an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill and was inspired by the campaign waged by Jools’ mother, Ellen Roome. The legislation provides that data must be secured within five days of a child’s death, so that grieving parents do not have to appeal to online platforms for access.
Legal practices that specialise in tech, media and child protection are particularly approving of the new law, but it is welcomed by the profession as a whole. Even a London law firm like www.forsters.co.uk/ that practises unaffected areas of law like corporate, commercial and private clients will see it as a much-needed development.
Jools’ Law in context
The initiative is part of the government’s wider online safety agenda. In addition to Jools’ Law, it intends to tighten controls on AI-generated content, impose duties on chatbot providers, to remove illegal content and carry out a review of the digital wellbeing of children through a national consultation launching in March 2026.
These moves demonstrate the government’s recognition of the increasing urgency to make tech companies accountable and transparent, with non-compliance punishable by hefty fines and, in extreme cases, criminal sanctions.