Untitled ITV Social Media Drama

ITV has commissioned a drama from writer Jeff Pope examining the impact of social media on children and the challenges families face when seeking information from technology companies. The project follows the story of Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Julian 'Jools' Sweeney died in April 2022, and her four-year campaign to access his social media data. Produced by Etta Pictures in association with Featuristic Films, the series was commissioned by ITV Director of Drama Polly Hill. Lauren Cowell, who brought the idea to ITV, will executive produce alongside Pope. Roome will serve as a consultant throughout the writing and production process. The drama will air on ITV1, STV, and stream on ITVX and STV Player. Pope, known for factual dramas including Mr Bates vs the Post Office and Believe Me, is writing the series, which explores how technology companies evade accountability following tragic deaths of young people.