Murdered boy's death 'sparked change', says friend

Olly Stephens was stabbed to death in Emmer Green in Reading

"Keeping your worries private is not the right thing for young people to do."

A friend of a 13-year-old murdered by two schoolboys over a dispute on social media has set up a podcast to help raise awareness of what young people are facing online.

Olly Stephens was ambushed and fatally stabbed in a field in Reading, Berkshire, in 2021. Two schoolboys were convicted of his murder later that year.

His friend Demi said: "It was an awful thing that happened but I feel like a lot of good has come out of it."

The 17-year-old, from Reading, said she believes children feel "like they are almost protecting their parents and don't want them to understand the things they're going through".

"But I feel like this dynamic has to change," she said. "At the end of the day, it's the parents' job to protect their children, so they need to be aware of what's happening."

Speaking to Radio Berkshire, Demi said her podcast, called The Silent Pressures, is not just a conversation with young people.

"Including parents in the conversation gives them a resource to help their kids and educate themselves," she explained.

Demi said she started the podcast to help young people and parents feel comfortable talking about social harm

"It's a shame that something so devastating [Olly's murder] has to happen for conversations like this to start.

"It was an awful thing that happened but I feel like a lot of good has come out of it, especially for me and my friends, as it has started a lot of conversations for us.

"These were issues we weren't aware were issues until they happened to us and now they have sparked change."

Demi said it had helped "open my eyes - and a lot of other people's eyes around me - towards what social media is truly like."

Demi says she hopes her podcast will give parents a resource to help their children

Her podcast, she said, was a "good way to make young people feel like people are listening to their problems".

Demi believes more parents and children are talking about the issues now.

"I think parents are beginning to understand that they shouldn't give their children access to a phone and social media, especially at such a young age," she said.

"Although, I still think there is still a lot to improve."