In a heartbreaking case, a group of British parents have filed a lawsuit against the social media giant TikTok, alleging that their children’s deaths were the result of the platform’s “engineered addiction-by-design” and dangerous content. The case, brought forward by the Social Media Victims Law Center, centres around the tragic deaths of five young individuals – Julian “Jools” Sweeney, Isaac Kenevan, Archie Battersbee, Noah Gibson, and Maia Walsh – all of whom allegedly died while attempting the infamous “blackout challenge” on TikTok.
Ellen Roome, a 49-year-old mother from Gloucestershire, is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Roome has been campaigning tirelessly since the death of her 14-year-old son, Jools, in 2022. In a statement posted on social media, Roome described the first hearing in the United States as “deeply painful”, stating that “for the court, this is about motions and procedure. For us, it is about our children. Our dead children.”
The lawsuit alleges that the children’s deaths were the “foreseeable result of ByteDance’s engineered addiction-by-design and programming decisions”, which were “aimed at pushing children into maximising their engagement with TikTok by any means necessary.” A TikTok spokesperson has stated that the platform “strictly prohibits content that promotes or encourages dangerous behaviour” and that they comply with the UK’s strict data protection laws.
Roome, who 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 – is also pushing for wider changes to social media to improve the safety of children online. Following Jools’ death, a coroner returned a narrative verdict at his inquest and ruled out suicide, with Roome believing that her son died after an online challenge went wrong.
The case is currently in the discovery stage, with the judge set to decide whether it can proceed. Regardless of the outcome, Roome and the other grieving parents are determined to find the truth and protect other children from similar tragedies. As Roome stated, “Whatever the outcome, we showed up. We spoke for our children. And we will keep going.”