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THE father of murdered Reading schoolboy, Olly Stephens, has called for mobile phones to be banned from schools.
Stuart Stephens said it should also be illegal to sell mobiles to anyone under 16 and posting abusive content known as ‘pattening’ online ought to be made a criminal offence.
He also repeated his demand that social media bosses be held responsible for hateful and harmful content shared on their platforms.
Speaking exclusively to Reading Today, Mr Stephens added many people might believe he was “asking for the impossible”.
“When you see your son lying on a slab in the morgue you know society has gone terribly wrong and something has to be done,” he explained.
“Children are killing children and using social media to do it. Society needs to look at itself and ask how did we get here?”
Olly was only 13 when he was attacked in Bugs Bottom, Emmer Green in January 2021, just 200 yards from his home. Two teenage boys were found guilty of his murder while a 14-year-old girl was convicted of manslaughter.
Reading Crown Court heard how the three defendants conspired to lure Olly to the field, following an argument he was involved in with one of the group.
When Olly arrived, the two 14-year-old boys, one of whom was 13 at the time, started a fight, in which he drew a knife and stabbed Olly twice.
Stuart and his wife, Amanda, said they think about Olly “every day” and want to use their anger over his senseless murder to prevent other parents experiencing the same pain they have lived with.
Speaking after a community fundraiser at Southlake Angling Society on Saturday, Stuart added: “Olly’s killers tried to humiliate him as they had done to the boy Olly was standing up for. They filmed it and threatened they would post the film online. That is called pattening and it should be made a crime.
“This is happening every day in homes across the country. Children threaten children. One child sits alone in their bedroom being bullied online by other children.
“They hide it from their parents, teachers and the police. They have no one to turn to. Vile messages are sent all the time, in the middle of the night, on the way to school and even while they are in class.
“This is bullying in the extreme. It is a form of terrorism and it should be made a criminal offence. I also believe the owners of social media platforms should be punished for allowing this evil and hateful situation to be published on their platforms. If someone did the same in a newspaper, they would be in jail and the newspaper closed down, but you can get away with it if it’s online.
“Advertisers on these platforms cannot be blameless either. Why would they spend money on social media where bullying and hate speech are everyday realities for countless children?”
Stuart called for mobile phones to be banned from school premises as well as their sale to anyone under 16.
He added he still attended a “therapy session” every Thursday with friends in his local pub: “We only drink coke,” he explained.
“It is an opportunity to sit, talk, listen and grieve.
“Bullying has always existed but when I was a kid, you at least got some respite when the bell rang and at weekends.
“Social media makes it impossible to get a moment’s peace. You see almost every young person walking down the street with a mobile phone in their back pocket. There is no escape.
“There is no need to have a phone in a classroom or even during school time. Allowing phones in school provides an opportunity to maintain and rack up the bullying when young people should be focussed on their studies.
“Like most young people, Olly kept his phone a secret from his parents. When we asked to view it, he simply disguised and covered up the real conversations. Social media seems to change every day and parents can’t keep up and don’t know their way around it.
“If sales of cigarettes and alcohol can be banned to anyone under 21, why not mobile phones to those under 16?”
The Stephens have visited Parliament and the House of Lords several times to call for tougher measures on social media and to throw his weight behind the Online Safety Bill.
“Child welfare should be a priority for any government. Society needs clear guidelines and laws. Red tape is killing our kids.
“The politicians need to take affirmative action. The country needs tough laws to protect our children from other children and from predators who pump out all sorts of harmful, hateful and vile content, available 24 hours, seven days a week.
“While social media has intensified, places where young people could go to get their eyes and minds off a screen such as youth clubs, football clubs and community events have all been steadily closing. If there is no place to go, young people will go online and get sucked into a world of hate and bullying and even murder.”
Stuart and Amanda thanked people who turned out for the Olly Stephens second Memorial Match and Fun Day at the Southlake Angling Society on Saturday. The event was held at The Waterside pub in Woodley.
More than £7,000 was raised which will be split between three charities, the No5 Young People’s Hub, Parenting Special Children and the Ben Kinsella Trust.
Secretary of the club, Jim Morris, said: “Over 1,000 people turned up and were very generous despite the cost-of-living crisis. Some of the children had never held a fishing rod or enjoyed a quiet time by the lake so it was a joy to watch. They really enjoyed it, as well as the burgers and other delights.”
And Reading East MP Matt Rodda was one of the attendees.
“It was a lovely, family event with a great atmosphere,” he said. “It was wonderful to be able to go along and support the Stephens. I think No5 is a brilliant charity.”
He hoped that when the online safety and harms bill comes back to parliament next week there will be the opportunity to amend it to take on board the Stephens’ views.
“This is a huge issue affecting everyone in society,” Mr Rodda said. “People want to see change.”
