Jay Slater’s mum Debbie returns to social media as she begs for ‘assist’
As Debbie Duncan moves on following the tragic death of her son Jay, the grieving mother is now back on social media asking for support for her latest government petition
Jay Slater’s mum Debbie has made a comeback to social media to drum up support(Image: Facebook)
Jay Slater’s mum Debbie has made a return to social media, months after walking away due to torrents of abuse. She has now appealed to her pals and the general public help the government back her calls for stricter regulations online.
Debbie Duncan has been at the centre of a relentless barrage of hate from online trolls after her son Jay went missing in Tenerife in 2024. His body was later tragically found after an extensive search from both Spanish and British police.
But despite the tragedy she felt after losing her darling child, Debbie was the subject of abuse and conspiracy theories from armchair detectives after her young boy disappeared. Now, she has made a return to social media trying to rally support for her latest assault against lawmakers.
Taking to her Facebook page, Debbie shared a link to a petition gathering signatures on the UK Government website. The petition calls for online social media platforms to remove any form of misinformation that could lead sleuths to set their eyes on grieving families.
Currently sitting at 7,885 signatures at the time of writing, the petition calls for the introduction of ‘Jay’s Law’ — rules that help to protect the families of people who have died in the public eye. The rules would also require social media platforms to “act on speculative, malicious content likely to cause serious harm”, adding that watchdog Ofcom should get involved.
Writing in the petition description, Debbie said: “Jay’s Law would place clear legal duties on platforms, backed by Ofcom enforcement and sanctions, to ensure all speculative, organised, and malicious content is swiftly removed, protecting grieving families’ privacy, dignity, and safety.” She first set up the petition in December, with the petition open until May 4.
Trying to rally support for the bill, she made a rare post to her social media page, writing: “I would like to thank you all, old friends and new, for all your support sharing my government petition. The reactions to my posts are really appreciated.”
She went on to press her point that online platforms such as TikTok, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) “need to take responsibility for online bullying, harassment and misinformation”. In a separate post, Debbie penned: “Please keep signing and sharing, thank you for your ongoing support,” followed by a slew of praying emojis and hearts.
Debbie has long been against armchair detectives who have tried to solve the case themselves, instead of co-operating with the police, causing more hassle for Jay’s devastated family. Back in September, Debbie slammed these supposed detectives, saying their attempts had made everything “a million times worse”.
Speaking in a Channel 4 documentary about the 19-year-old’s death, Debbie hit out at these investigators, saying their grief was only worsened due to intense online theories. Some of these claimed he was killed after running up debts with drug gangs, while others alleged he had been tortured on his way home.
A full coroner’s report confirmed that Jay had slipped from a ravine, falling around 75ft to his death after coming back from a music festival on the Spanish island in June of 2024. However, even this was not enough to stave off theorists, who claimed Jay had faked his death and was now in hiding.
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