Debbie Duncan presses for Jay's Law to curb online misinformation 15 months after Tenerife death

Debbie Duncan, the mother of Jay Slater, has renewed a push for tighter laws to curb misinformation about missing people online, calling for Parliament to debate a proposal known as Jay's Law. Fifteen months after her son’s death, she says the measure is needed to stop what she describes as “armchair detectives” spreading false or sensational claims. The effort has gained backing from Labour MP Sarah Smith, who has spoken in support of producing the legislation, though no timeline for a debate has been announced. The coroner’s inquest into Jay Slater’s death, held in July 2025, ruled the death accidental, but Mr Slater’s case remains a magnet for online speculation and conspiracy theories.

Jay Slater, an apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, died while on a holiday in Tenerife. He reportedly got lost after leaving a nightclub and tried to walk back to his lodging. After a major search, his body was found on July 15 near the village of Masca, about an hour’s drive from his apartment in Playa de las Américas. In the days and weeks after his disappearance, thousands of people around the world followed the case, which drew a succession of theories about whether he had been kidnapped, harmed, or perhaps deliberately staged his death. The inquest detailed that Jay had been drinking and using drugs the night before his disappearance, and that post-mortem analysis found a pattern of head injuries consistent with a fall from height. Investigators said there was no evidence of restraint or assault, and that the injuries aligned with a fall.

As his family grapples with the ongoing online discourse surrounding his case, Ms Duncan has said she repeatedly reports misinformation to major platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, only to see many posts remain online. She has stressed that she is in favor of freedom of speech but argues that misinformation about a grieving family is different from ordinary commentary. Sarah Smith MP, who represents a constituency in the area, praised Ms Duncan for continuing to speak out under intense abuse and urged tech companies to improve safeguards to protect families’ privacy and well-being while still permitting legitimate discourse.

The online undertow surrounding Jay Slater’s death has drawn comparisons to Nicola Bulley’s disappearance in early 2023, a case that likewise attracted persistent conspiracy theories even after an inquest concluded an accidental death. Jay Slater’s family has been candid about the emotional toll: Ms Duncan has left her job as a finance assistant at a local school, has pursued private counselling, and described days when getting out of bed was a struggle. She said she still keeps Jay’s Tenerife case file close, sometimes opening it to smell his clothes before returning it to its place, a private ritual she described as a way to cope with the grief and the ongoing scrutiny.

The family is set to participate in a Channel 4 documentary produced by Candour Productions, The Disappearance of Jay Slater, which airs on Sunday, September 28, at 9 p.m. The project grants the filmmakers unprecedented access to Jay’s story, including personal home footage, coverage from his funeral, and even material from his post-mortem. Warren Slater, Jay’s father, and Zak Slater, his brother, also participate, with Warren hoping that public airing of Jay’s shirt and trainers from the night of his death will help quash the more sensational theories that he remains alive.

Policy context also features prominently in the discussion. Meta, YouTube, and TikTok all publish misinformation policies intended to curb content that could cause significant harm or disrupt processes. Meta’s policy emphasizes removing misinformation likely to directly contribute to harm or undermine political processes, while YouTube notes that certain misleading content with a serious risk of harm is not allowed. TikTok asserts it does not permit misinformation that could cause significant harm to individuals or society, regardless of intent. All three platforms rely on third-party fact-checkers to assess viral content and apply community standards that bar fake accounts and coordinated inauthentic behavior.

Support for legislation such as Jay’s Law underscores a broader concern among families touched by missing-person cases that online ecosystems can enable harmful speculation and reputational damage long after authorities have closed formal inquiries. Proponents argue that clearer boundaries and accountability could reduce the exposure of vulnerable families to harmful claims while preserving legitimate dialogue about missing-person cases. Critics, however, caution that laws targeting misinformation must safeguard free expression and avoid being weaponized to silence legitimate debate.

As the Channel 4 documentary seeks to contextualize the period of Jay Slater’s disappearance and the subsequent online discourse, the family’s message remains consistent: the need for compassionate coverage and responsible sharing of information, alongside robust protections for those left behind. The debate over Jay’s Law will unfold in the context of a crowded media landscape where official investigations, social-media dynamics, and independent content creators intersect—and where the public continues to wrestle with the line between inquiry and intrusion.