A mother, who is among a group of British parents suing TikTok following the deaths of five children, described the US hearing as “extremely painful.”
Ellen Roome, 49, from Gloucestershire, is campaigning after her 14-year-old son Jules Sweeney died at home in Cheltenham in 2022.
She had gone to Delaware to attend the hearing of the case filed by the Social Media Victims Law Center against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance.
The case alleges that Jules, Isaac Kenaven (13), Archie Battersby (12), Noah Gibson (11), and Maia Walsh (13) died. They died while attempting an online challenge.
Bereaved parents believe their children watched the challenge on TikTok – although they have no proof. TikTok says the data related to what their children were watching has likely been removed under data privacy rules.
Parents are suing TikTok in the US.
Parents are suing TikTok in the US for wrongful death, a process that could let them know 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 phase.
“It was incredibly difficult to sit through the hearing. The language was cold, technical and legalistic. For the court, it’s about motions and procedures. For us, it’s about our children. Our dead children.”
She added, “Listening to lawyers arguing abstract points while the reality of our loss sat quietly behind every word was deeply painful. This is our lived experience, our grief and our determination to uncover the truth and protect other children.
“No matter the outcome, we showed up. We spoke up for our kids. And we will keep moving forward. Thank you to everyone who continues to support us.”
Photo: Alain Roome
Ms Roome sold her finance business, which she had run for 18 years, to campaign for Jules’ Law, which gives parents the right to access their deceased child’s data without a court order.
She is also pushing for sweeping changes to social media to improve the safety of children online.
Speaking previously about internet safety, he said, “It’s not about banning the internet. It’s about preventing addiction to platforms by design, harming children, and, at worst, avoiding responsibility.
“Children deserve protection. Parents deserve answers. And tech companies need to be held accountable.”
“We’re here to ensure that other kids are safe.”
Since her son’s death, Ms Room has been trying to obtain data from TikTok and ByteDance that she believes could provide explanations about what happened.
TikTok whistleblowers highlight security concerns
All five parents believe their children died while attempting a dangerous stunt called the Blackout Challenge.
For almost decades, it has been banned on mainstream social media apps, including TikTok.
TikTok has applied to dismiss the case, saying UK residents are suing US entities that do not operate or provide the social media firm’s services in the UK.
It states that established US law, such as the First Amendment, prevents liability for third-party content on TikTok.
A TikTok spokesperson said, “Our deepest sympathies go out to these families. We strictly prohibit content that promotes or encourages dangerous behaviour.”
“We remove 99% of users who break these rules before they are even reported to us by using robust detection systems and dedicated enforcement teams to proactively identify and remove this content.”
“As a company, we comply with the UK’s strict data protection laws.”
