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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent

Archie Battersbee’s mother asks coroner to examine role of TikTok in death

Archie Battersbee and his mother, Hollie Dance.
Archie Battersbee and his mother, Hollie Dance. Photograph: Supplied

The mother of Archie Battersbee, the 12-year-old boy who died in August after his life support was switched off, wants a coroner to consider what role exposure to TikTok videos may have played in his death.

Archie sustained a catastrophic brain injury on 7 April at his home in Southend, Essex, when a ligature was found over his head. His mother, Hollie Dance, believes he was injured as a result of taking part in an internet challenge known as the “blackout challenge” and wants the inquest into his death to scrutinise how social media may have contributed.

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