Inquest reopened into death of 14-year-old boy after ‘TikTok blackout challenge’

Ellen Roome with her son Jools Sweeney. She has campaigned for Jools’ law, which requires tech firms to preserve a child’s online and social media data within five days of their death. Photograph: Ellen Roome/PA

The inquest into the death of a 14-year-old boy, whose mother believes he died after a TikTok challenge gone wrong, is to be reopened in a landmark ruling by the high court.

Jools Sweeney, a schoolboy from Gloucestershire, died in April 2022. His parents, Ellen Roome and Matt Sweeney, believed social media played a role in his death, pointing to the popularity of the “blackout challenge” online at the time.