Two mums appeared on BBC Breakfast after the tragic deaths of their sons.
A heartbroken mother has issued an impassioned appeal on BBC Breakfast following her son’s tragic death.
As presenters Jon Kay and Sally Nugent explored reports suggesting the Government may introduce a social media ban for under-16s across the UK, they spoke with Lauren LaFave, whose son Breck was killed after being groomed via video games, and Lisa Kenevan, whose son Isaac lost his life during an online challenge.
Sally opened the discussion, noting: “Many bereaved parents have been calling for tougher restrictions after their children were exposed to harmful content.”
She continued: “It is a really difficult moment for you, and it’s really difficult to talk about the things that you have to talk about. But you do get a sense, certainly we get a sense, that the parents in this situation are using very powerful voices and their experiences to try and have an effect on what might happen next.”
Lisa expressed her support for the potential ban, describing how the situation had been “dragging on for so long” and the mounting frustration felt by numerous parents that had “ricocheted around the country”, reports the Express.
Following her own son’s devastating death, she made an urgent appeal, insisting: “we have to do something”.
She stated: “I feel that our voices are finally being heard,” stressing her belief that youngsters under 16 shouldn’t access social media platforms.
Lisa added: “I’m not a fan of having bans, but we’re in desperate times now. This is a worldwide crisis, I know that sounds really excessive but it’s true.
“I see it when I go into schools and talk to teachers, they’re on their knees, they’re not teaching anymore, they’re like social workers.
“We have to do something. The generation that is coming up now, they don’t have a childhood. We have to do something and we’re going to have a fallout, that’s a natural thing.”
Lisa compared a possible social media ban to fast food addiction, saying children would crave fast food if it were immediately taken away, “but in the end, they’re going to take that as the norm and live their lives without having this fast food every single day”.
She added: “We’re in desperate times, and have to give it a go.”
Lauren, who had spoken to Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall just yesterday, admitted her “relief” at the consultation happening.
She said: “Common sense and what we see working with children, what we see in the public everyday, children’s heads are buried in their devices and they don’t have the balance, so I look forward to seeing the evidence that will show that they need a better balance for their wellbeing.
“I look forward to that, in terms of phone bans in school. The world ban sounds so horrible, but phone-free school? How much more healthy and engaging. I loved the quote by the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson that said mobile phones have no place in schools. I couldn’t agree more.
“You don’t need your devices, you don’t need that responsibility you feel to check what’s happening online while you’re at school, it’s a time to engage, face-to-face, learn, explore.
“It puts everyone on an equal playing field, it’s not one school or one teacher having one rule, it’ll be the same rule for everyone and I think school will be so much more engaging that way and just give everyone a better balance.”
She went on to say that she doesn’t want children to feel “punished”, adding: “I’d never want to take away technology from children, I want them to use it safely. That’s where the bottom line is, it’s the balance and the safety, and there isn’t a balance nowadays.
“Our devices are in our hands too often. Children have their whole lives to be working behind a computer and to feel they have these pressures to do all the things that we have to do as adults, they should be having a childhood, playing and enjoying their time. We’ve just given them too much too soon and it’s hard to backtrack.”
Lauren went on to say it’s “heartbreaking” that their bereaved family group continues to grow as there are “new versions of what can go wrong”.
“We don’t want our group to grow, we want our children’s stories to make change for the future.”
Their comments come after reports that the government will consult on whether social media should be banned for under-16s in the UK.
It said “immediate action” would give Ofsted the power to check policies on phone use when it inspects schools.
The announcement also includes that it expected schools to be “phone-free by default”.
This follows Australia’s social media ban which took effect in December 2025, marking the first of its kind in the world.
BBC Breakfast airs from 6am on BBC One and iPlayer.
