British parents pursue wrongful death case against TikTok over children’s deaths linked to online challenge

A group of British parents are suing TikTok and its parent company ByteDance in the US over the deaths of five children, including Ellen Roome’s 14-year-old son, Jools Sweeney. The children are believed to have died while attempting a dangerous online challenge, although parents lack direct proof. TikTok claims relevant data may have been deleted due to privacy rules. Ms. Roome described a recent court hearing in Delaware as ‘deeply painful’, highlighting the contrast between legal technicalities and parents’ personal grief. The case, filed by the Social Media Victims Law Centre, seeks to hold TikTok accountable for exposing children to harmful content. Roome has been advocating for ‘Jools’ Law’, which would give parents access to deceased children’s social media data without a court order, and pushing for broader social media safety reforms. TikTok emphasizes it removes 99% of harmful content proactively and complies with UK data protection laws. The court will decide whether the case proceeds to the discovery stage, which could allow parents to access data that explains the circumstances of their children’s deaths. The case underscores ongoing concerns over social media safety and platform accountability for children online.