No products in the cart.
Ellen Roome, who believes her 14-year-old son Jools died after participating in an online challenge, has sought to obtain data from TikTok that could provide clarity around his death.
She has been campaigning for “Jools’ Law”, which would allow parents to access the social media accounts of their children if they die. It was debated in parliament on 13 January 2025.
“Parents need to be aware of the dangers of social media,” she told the BBC.
“I thought TikTok was silly dances and silly challenges like standing on your hands and putting your t-shirt on upside-down – Jools and I did several of those challenges – because we just thought they were fun.
“It isn’t that – there’s some harmful material there, and I think parents need to be aware and really, if they can, get their children to show them their phone.”
She said she believed it was “morally wrong” that TikTok will not give her access to her son’s social media account.
“[TikTok] could have handed over the data and said, ‘here bereaved parents, I hope you get some answers’,” she said.
“It’s taking us going to court in the US to try to do that, and I think that’s morally wrong.”
