Ofcom is consulting on guidance for online platforms that sets out what information they will be required to retain about a child’s activity if their death is investigated by a coroner.
New powers
In June, the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 was passed, which granted Ofcom new powers which can help bereaved parents get answers when social media activity is linked to the death of their child.
From 30 September, Ofcom will be able to tell tech firms to preserve data about a deceased child’s activity on their platform, if requested by the coroner investigating the child’s death. Today, we have published proposed guidance on the information tech firms will need to retain in these situations.
Proposed guidance
Some online platforms automatically delete a user’s data if their account is inactive for a certain period. The sooner Ofcom can issue a ‘Data Preservation Notice’ to a platform after a child’s death, the more likely it is to be successful in preserving any information that might be relevant to a coroner’s investigation.
To enable swift action in these circumstances and make it easier for platforms to locate relevant data, we are proposing to set out in guidance the types of information coroners may wish to provide Ofcom about the child if known at the time, and the types of data we will generally require platforms to preserve.
Listening to bereaved parents
We are mindful of the emotional strain family members face when they may be asked to search a child’s personal device for account information to assist a coroner. We want to make sure this process works with and for bereaved families, with minimal burden placed on them at times of profound grief and distress.
We have already received invaluable perspectives from a group of bereaved parents on how the process can be managed both effectively and compassionately. We are immensely grateful for their ongoing input, and we remain committed to taking these perspectives into account as we finalise our guidance.
Next steps
We welcome responses to the consultation on our proposed guidance by 5pm on 28 October 2025. We aim to publish our final guidance by the end of 2025, once we have considered responses.