A mother who is suing TikTok following the death of her 14-year-old son has described the fight for answers as 'ridiculous'. Ellen Roome believes her son Julian 'Jools' Sweeney may have died after attempting a dangerous social media challenge, but she has been denied access to his account data.
Ms Roome is one of five British families taking legal action against TikTok in the US, alleging the platform's 'blackout challenge' led to the wrongful deaths of their children. The challenge encourages participants to choke themselves until they lose consciousness. TikTok says it banned the challenge in 2020.
Speaking to The Mirror, Ms Roome said: 'It's ridiculous that we've got to go across the pond to try and sue for our children's data when we're in England. It's crazy, but the English system isn't set up to be able to sue properly.' She accused TikTok of lacking morals and suggested the company might have something to 'hide'.
Jools was found unconscious in his bedroom in April 2022. An inquest concluded he took his own life, but the coroner said it was unlikely he intended to do so. The other children involved in the lawsuit are Isaac Kenevan, 13, Archie Battersbee, 12, Maia Walsh, 13, and Noah Gibson, 11.
A significant hearing is due on Friday regarding a motion to dismiss the case. TikTok argues the lawsuit should be filed in the UK, but the families are pursuing action in Delaware, where TikTok's parent company ByteDance is registered. If the motion fails, the case could move to discovery, potentially forcing TikTok to hand over internal documents.
