Mum in US to 'hold tech companies to account'

A MOTHER who is among five British parents suing TikTok after the deaths of their children has said the case is about accountability.

- CLAIRE HAYHURST

Ellen Roome with her 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney, who died at home in Cheltenham in 2022

(Ellen Roome/PA)

Ellen Roome, 49, from Gloucestershire, has been campaigning since her 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died at home in Cheltenham in 2022.

She is in America for the first day of the hearing, in Delaware, which has been filed by the Social Media Victims Law Centre against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance.

The case alleges Jools, Isaac Kenevan, 13, Archie Battersbee, 12, Noah Gibson, 11, and Maia Walsh, 13, died while attempting an online challenge.

Ms Roome said: "This is about accountability.

"We are in Delaware to make sure social media companies are held responsible for the harm caused on their platforms.