Mother of teenager who died urges parents to keep phones out of children's bedrooms
British mother Elena Rooma, whose 14-year-old son was found unconscious in his bedroom in 2022, urges parents not to let children keep smartphones in their rooms at night. She believes his death may be linked to social media, but this has not been proven.
Elena Rooma, a mother in the United Kingdom whose 14-year-old son Julian was found unconscious in his bedroom in April 2022, is urging parents not to leave smartphones in children's bedrooms and to take a closer interest in what their children do online. She believes the boy's death may be connected to social media and a dangerous challenge circulating on the internet, though this has not been proven. The family called him Jools.
In an interview with the British newspaper The Mirror, Rooma set out advice for other parents. Her main recommendation is not to let children keep phones with them overnight: devices should be left to charge in another room in the evening. She notes that children often spend hours scrolling through social media content and lose sleep as a result.
Conversations, not only bans
Rooma stresses that restrictions are not enough, and parents should talk openly with their children about what they see online. She admits that, if she could discuss social media use with her son again, she would act differently. Her advice is to admit when app features are unclear and to ask a child to show how Instagram works, what appears in their feed and what they watch on TikTok. In her view, adults need to learn about online risks rather than assume social media holds only harmless dances and entertaining videos.
She also urges families to delay for as long as possible the moment a child gets a smartphone and access to social networks. Rooma points out that even adults struggle to control their phone habits, so children who are still developing self-regulation cannot be expected to set limits on their own.
Legal action and law changes
After her son's death, Rooma spent a long time trying to obtain information from his TikTok account to find out what content he had watched. Together with other British parents, she is taking part in legal action against TikTok. She also campaigns for legal changes so that a child's digital data is preserved after their death and can assist investigations when necessary. This February, the UK government announced planned amendments to a bill that would require social media companies to retain such data.
