'We failed him': Olly Stephens' dad says son would be alive if online safety laws were stronger

The father of a boy murdered in Reading says his son would still be alive today if more robust laws were in place regarding online safety.

Olly Stephens was 13 when he was stabbed to death in January last year in a killing which was planned on social media.

His dad, Stuart Stephens, has since campaigned for tougher online safety measures to be introduced, but is frustrated by ongoing delays.

Stuart said: "I think we've reached the point now where we need this law - we need it to be in law - because children are harming each other in horrific ways and a lot of it is triggered by social media and the content they see.

"So our main issue is protecting the children but also enabling parents to have that understanding of what these tools can lead to.

"We were clueless as to what was going on in his life until he was murdered. Sadly we failed him through our lack of education around social media so this is why we're doing what we're doing."

• Stuart Stevens has been campaigning for tougher online safety measures since the death of his son

Stuart and his family are pushing for tighter regulations and they have been in regular contact with politicians to call for social media companies to be more accountable.

Stuart said: "Part of this for us is enabling parents to learn from our mistakes. Do not give your children total freedom on their phone. Check it in, reign it in, limit the time they're on, check their apps, limit the apps they're using, that kind of thing. And just by helping keep a focus on the safety bill, we're hoping it will get more backing by more people."

The government has said they are committed to the Online Safety Bill and intend to bring it back to the Commons as soon as possible.

It's a development that Stuart would welcome, as he aims for better protection for children and greater awareness for parents.