Mobile Phones: Death
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has had discussions with technology companies on bereaved families accessing data on the deceased devices.
Answered by Ian Murray
Following extensive engagement and consultation with bereaved families, civil society and industry, the government has recently brought in a number of changes to speed up the preservation of data held in social media accounts that might help explain the tragic death of a child, so that parents finally get the answers they deserve.
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 requires coroners to promptly request preservation of relevant data once aware of the death of a child. The Government will also make regulations to allow Ofcom, once notified, to automatically issue notices to the largest relevant services for children, requiring them to freeze and retain data relevant to support investigations by coroners and Procurators Fiscal.
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