A mother pursuing legal action against TikTok following the tragic death of her 14-year-old son expressed frustration over the need to go to great lengths to seek clarity. Ellen Roome suspects her son, Julian “Jools” Sweeney, may have perished due to a social media challenge gone awry but faces obstacles in accessing his account. She is part of a group of five British families taking legal action against TikTok for the alleged wrongful deaths of their children.
In an interview with The Mirror, Ms. Roome, hailing from Cheltenham, emphasized her determination to seek justice for her son and others impacted by similar tragedies. She stressed the need to uncover the truth not only for her son but for children worldwide, highlighting the global nature of the issue.
TikTok has asserted its inability to retrieve Jools’s account’s watch or search history due to legal obligations to delete personal data. Ms. Roome has criticized TikTok for its lack of transparency and insinuated that the platform may be concealing information by withholding data, questioning the necessity to pursue legal action overseas instead of in the UK.
Regarding TikTok’s conduct, Ms. Roome denounced the platform’s alleged lack of ethical standards and expressed skepticism about its motives for not releasing the data. She questioned why TikTok would not provide parents with their children’s social media data if they had nothing to hide.
Jools was discovered unconscious in his room in April 2022, with an inquest later attributing his death to suicide. Ms. Roome, grappling with the aftermath since 2024, emphasized the emotional toll of seeking answers and lamented the arduous battle parents face in understanding their children’s untimely deaths.
The ongoing lawsuit, initiated last year, faces a crucial hearing on Friday, focusing on the deaths of Jools and four other children linked to the “blackout challenge.” TikTok contends that the challenge has been banned on its platform since 2020. The families are litigating in Delaware due to ByteDance’s incorporation in the state.
Ms. Roome highlighted the significance of Friday’s hearing as a pivotal moment in the legal process, where TikTok seeks dismissal on jurisdictional grounds. If unsuccessful, the lawsuit will progress to the discovery phase, potentially compelling TikTok to disclose internal records and account data, a process that could extend over several years.
In parallel with the US litigation, Ms. Roome advocates in the UK for “Jools’ Law,” advocating for the preservation of a child’s online data following their demise. She emphasized the importance of legislative changes to ensure data preservation, positioning the UK as a trailblazer in addressing such critical issues.