Parents suing TikTok over children’s deaths say it ‘has no compassion-BBC
The four British families suing TikTok for the alleged wrongful deaths of their children have accused the tech giant of having “no compassion”.
In an exclusive group interview for BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the parents said they were taking the company to court to try to find out the truth about what happened to their children and seek accountability.
The parents believe their children died after taking part in a viral trend that circulated on the video-sharing platform in 2022.
TikTok says it prohibits dangerous content and challenges. It has blocked searches for videos and hashtags related to the particular challenge the children’s parents say is linked to their deaths.
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”. 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?”
‘No faith’ in government efforts
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.
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