Social media victory for bereaved parents

ALL bereaved parents will get access to their children’s social media accounts after ministers backed down on “callous” plans to water down online safety laws.

Michelle Donelan, the Technology Secretary, is to amend data laws after a campaign by bereaved parents to ensure coroners get access by law to data from social media firms so they can understand why their child died.

The new laws are designed to prevent a repeat of the suffering of bereaved parents like Ian Russell, the father of Molly. He had to fight tech giants for five years to get access to his 14-year-old daughter’s accounts to discover how she was bombarded by posts that drove her to take her life.

The Government had been accused by the campaigning parents of betraying a personal commitment. They restricted access only to children who took their own lives rather than any case where a child had died from unnatural causes such as murder and where technology could have played a part.

Among those demanding the changes were the bereaved parents of Olly Stephens, 13, who was stabbed to death by two teenage boys in a field near his home in Reading after being lured there by a 14-year-old girl. The extent of the plot to kill him was only revealed through social media posts and texts uncovered by police.

Ms Donelan said: “This important change will give bereaved parents access to critical digital information at a tragic time.

“Although nothing can take away the pain endured by the families, I hope this amendment goes some way to give more answers to anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves in similar heartbreaking situations.”

Baroness Kidron, the online safety campaigner who took up the parents’ case, said: “I am delighted by this decision. The transparency this measure will bring forward will lift a veil on the role of tech companies in cases where children die.

“It will reveal information that, however painful, is necessary for parents to come to terms with the death of their children. It is also essential for the good working of Parliament that where promises are made at the despatch box they are fulfilled. There is a great deal still to do to make children safe online – but this is one small step forward.”

Under the Online Safety Act, bosses could face up to one year in jail if they failed to co-operate with any requests for the data.