Parents suing TikTok over children's deaths say it 'has no compassion'

The lawsuit, filed in the US on Thursday, claims that Isaac Kenevan, 13, Archie Battersbee, 12, Julian "Jools" Sweeney, 14, and Maia Walsh, 13, died while attempting the so-called "blackout challenge".

The complaint was filed in the Superior Court of the State of Delaware by the US-based Social Media Victims Law Center on behalf of Archie's mother Hollie Dance, Isaac's mum Lisa Kenevan, Jools' mother Ellen Roome and Maia's dad Liam Walsh.

In the interview, Ms Kenevan accused TikTok of breaching "their own rules". In the lawsuit, the families claim that the platform breached the rules in a number of ways, including around not showing or promoting dangerous content that could cause significant physical harm.

Ms Dance said that the bereaved families were brushed off with "the same corporate statement" showing "no compassion at all - there's no meaning behind that statement for them".

Ms Roome has been campaigning for legislation that would allow parents to access the social media accounts of their children if they die. She has been trying to obtain data from TikTok that she thinks could provide clarity around his death.

Ms Kenevan said they were going to court to pursue "accountability - they need to look not just at us, but parents around the world, not just in England, it's the US and everywhere".

"We want TikTok to be forthcoming, to help us - why hold back on giving us the data?" Ms Kenevan continued. "How can they sleep at night?"

Mr Walsh said he had "no faith" that the UK government's efforts to protect children online would be effective.

The Online Safety Act is coming into force this spring. But Mr Walsh said, "I don't have faith, and I'm about to find out if I'm right or wrong. Because I don't think it's baring its teeth enough. I would be forgiven for having no faith - two and a half years down the road and having no answers."

Ms Roome said that she was grateful for the support she had from the other bereaved parents. "You do have some days particularly bad - when it's very difficult to function," she said.