ITV has commissioned a new drama exploring the impact of social media on children and the difficulties families face when seeking answers from major technology companies. The series will be inspired by the story of Ellen Roome MBE, whose 14-year-old son Julian “Jools” Sweeney died in April 2022. Ellen believes his death may have been linked to harmful social media content and has spent the past four years campaigning for greater online safety and more transparency from technology companies.
Ellen and her family have been unable to access Jools’ social media accounts, leaving them without information that could help explain what happened. Her campaign has since become part of a wider effort involving bereaved families around the world who are calling for stronger protections for children online.
The drama will be produced by Jeff Pope’s Etta Pictures, part of ITV Studios, in association with Featuristic Films. Ellen will act as a consultant throughout the writing process and work closely with Pope and the production team. Pope became involved after meeting Lauren Cowell, who has been working with Ellen and first brought the project to ITV. Cowell will executive produce the series alongside Pope.
Speaking about the commission, Ellen said ITV and Pope’s commitment to the drama had given her “a huge sense of hope and reassurance”. “I truly feel they will not only tell my story, but most importantly Jools’ story, with the care, sensitivity and integrity it deserves,” she said. “What happened to Jools changed my life forever, but if telling his story can help protect other children and make people truly understand the reality of what families are facing, then I know there is purpose in doing this.”
Pope described Ellen’s story as both tragic and inspiring, adding that parents are increasingly questioning the impact social media may have on children. “It’s appalling that parents aren’t given the information they need in the quest for answers about what has happened to their children,” he said.
ITV Director of Drama Polly Hill called it an “incredibly important story” about a mother fighting social media companies for answers following the death of her son. “It’s an urgent campaigning story and the most challenging issue we all face is how to keep our children safe on social media,” she said.
Cowell added that the project will centre on the experiences of Ellen and other bereaved families, while examining questions around accountability and the protection of children online. “This is not simply a drama about social media,” she said. “At its heart, it is a story about love, loss, truth, accountability and the desperate urgency to protect children.”
Pope recently wrote and executive produced Believe Me, which is now streaming on ITVX and follows three survivors of John Worboys. His previous credits include Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, Little Boy Blue, The Walk-In, A Confession, Mrs Biggs and Cilla. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing Philomena and received a BAFTA Special Award for his work in television drama.
For CultureCues, this is a difficult but incredibly important subject for ITV to tackle. Ellen Roome’s campaign has already brought urgent questions around online safety and transparency into public discussion, and having her closely involved should help ensure Jools’ story is handled with care. Jeff Pope has a strong record of turning real-life cases into thoughtful drama, and this has the potential to start conversations that extend well beyond the screen.
Further casting, filming and transmission details will be announced in due course.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.