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

The High Court has ordered a new inquest into the death of 14-year-old Jools Sweeney, who died in April 2022. His mother, Ellen Roome, believes the "blackout challenge" popular on TikTok contributed to his death. This landmark ruling allows for the examination of social media evidence that was not considered in the original inquest.

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For more than four years, we have fought every single day for the truth about what happened to our beautiful son Jools. Today, the legal system has finally recognised that there are questions which deserve to be answered.

Lord Justice Warby and Mrs Justice Heather Williams stated that "various potential lines of inquiry" were not explored in the initial inquest. Roome expressed her relief, stating, "Today, the legal system has finally recognised that there are questions which deserve to be answered." The original inquest in 2022 lasted only 23 minutes and heard no oral evidence.

Roome commissioned a private forensic analysis of Jools' phone, uncovering evidence from his TikTok data that her barrister, Harry Lambert, described as "highly probative of overuse or addiction." This evidence was not available to the original investigation.

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This journey has broken us at times. It has taken an enormous emotional toll on our family, but we could never stop. We fought not only for Jools, but for every family who deserves to know the truth about how their child died.

This case is believed to be the first of its kind in England and Wales where the lack of social media evidence was a primary ground for overturning a previous inquest. Roome has also successfully campaigned for "Jools' Law," which mandates tech companies to preserve a child's online data within five days of their death, incorporated into the Crime and Policing Act on April 29, 2026.

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evidence from Jools’ TikTok data was “highly probative of overuse or addiction.”

TikTok stated it did not oppose the proposal for a new inquest. Gary Miller, a partner at Mishcon de Reya LLP, noted that "social media is integrated into the lives of young people, and the current investigative processes are not fit for purpose in this new world." Roome is also part of a separate lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, in Delaware, United States.

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Ellen’s case has exposed just how much change is needed to ensure that parents like her have greater opportunities and a voice from the opening of the coronial inquiry. Social media is integrated into the lives of young people, and the current investigative processes are not fit for purpose in this new world.