Summary
A British mother, Ellen Roome, is part of a lawsuit against TikTok in the United States, blaming the company for the death of her son and four other children. The lawsuit claims the children died trying a dangerous online challenge. TikTok has requested dismissal of the case, stating that it doesn't have legal responsibilities for third-party content.
Key Facts
- Ellen Roome's 14-year-old son, Julian "Jools" Sweeney, died in 2022 after possibly attempting a TikTok challenge.
- Roome and four other British parents are suing TikTok in Delaware, USA.
- The lawsuit alleges the children's deaths were due to TikTok's addictive design and programming that encouraged risky behavior.
- TikTok said it prohibits content that promotes dangerous actions and expressed sympathies to the families.
- Roome sold her financial business to campaign for better online safety for children and for easier access to deceased children's data.
- The legal case focuses on U.S. laws and whether they apply to UK residents suing over content on a U.S.-based platform.
- TikTok claims that the specific challenge linked to the deaths has been banned on the platform since 2020.
