A mother who is among a group of British parents suing TikTok after the deaths of five children has described a hearing in America as “deeply painful”.
Ellen Roome, 49, from Gloucestershire, has been campaigning since her 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died at home in Cheltenham in 2022.
She travelled to Delaware to attend the hearing in the case filed by the Social Media Victims Law Centre against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance.
The case alleges Jools, Isaac Kenevan, 13, Archie Battersbee, 12, Noah Gibson, 11, and Maia Walsh, 13, died while trying an online challenge.
The bereaved parents believe their children saw the challenge on TikTok – although they don’t have proof. TikTok says the data around what their children were watching has likely been deleted under data privacy rules.
The parents are suing TikTok in the US for wrongful death, a process that may see them find out what happened to their children, if that data can be recovered.
Ms Roome wrote on Facebook: “Today we had our TikTok hearing.
“We now have to wait for the judge to decide whether the case is dismissed or whether we are allowed to proceed to the discovery stage.
“Sitting through the hearing was incredibly hard. The language was cold, technical and legal. For the court, this is about motions and procedures. For us, it is about our children. Our dead children.”
She went on: “Listening to lawyers argue abstract points while the reality of our loss sat silently behind every word was deeply painful. This is our lived experience, our grief, and our determination to find the truth and protect other children.
“Whatever the outcome, we showed up. We spoke for our children. And we will keep going. Thank you to everyone who continues to support us.”
Pic: Ellen Roome
Ms Roome sold the financial business she had run for 18 years to campaign for Jools’ Law, a right for parents to access their deceased child’s data without a court order.
She is also pushing for wider changes to social media to improve the safety of children online.
Speaking previously about internet safety, she said: “This is not about banning the internet. It is about stopping platforms being addictive by design, exposing children to harm, and avoiding responsibility when the worst happens.
“Children deserve protection. Parents deserve answers. And tech companies must be held to account.
“We are here to make sure other children are safer.”
Since her son’s death, Ms Roome has been trying to obtain data from TikTok and ByteDance which she believes could provide an explanation as to what happened.
All five parents believe their children died attempting a dangerous stunt known as the blackout challenge.
Around for decades, it’s banned on mainstream social media apps, including TikTok.
TikTok has applied to dismiss the case, stating UK residents are suing US entities which do not operate or provide the social media firm’s services in the UK.
It says established US law, such as the First Amendment, bars liability for third-party content on TikTok.
A spokesperson for TikTok said: “Our deepest sympathies remain with these families. We strictly prohibit content that promotes or encourages dangerous behaviour.
“Using robust detection systems and dedicated enforcement teams to proactively identify and remove this content, we remove 99% that’s found to break these rules before it is reported to us.
“As a company, we comply with the UK’s strict data protection laws.”
