'You're not allowed to grieve': The parents taking on TikTok over their children's deaths

'You're not allowed to grieve': These five parents are taking on TikTok over their children's deaths The group of bereaved parents are suing TikTok in the US for wrongful death, a process that may see them find out what happened to their children, if that data can be recovered. Their first hearing is on Friday. Image:Noah Gordon. Pic: Louise Gordon Image:Jools with his mum, Ellen. Pic: Ellen Roome Image:Isaac and his mum Lisa. Pic: Lisa Kenevan Image:Archie Battersbee. Pic: Hollie Dance Image:Maia Walsh. Pic: Liam Walsh Friday 16 January 2026 02:26, UK "I'd rather not do this. I'd rather I was left to grieve, but I'm stuck in a tunnel and I can't get out." Warning: This story contains descriptions of parents finding their children unresponsive that some readers may find upsetting. Liam Walsh's daughter Maia died three years ago. She was 13 when she was found unresponsive. Noah Gordon, just 12 years old, had passed away just months before, on 9 December 2021. He was found by his brother in his bedroom. His sister tried to help mum, Louise Gordon, to resuscitate him. They couldn't. "When I was checking Noah's phone, I was looking for messages from school friends. I was looking for bullying. "I never thought to check social media to see what he'd been looking at," said Louise. Three more families were torn apart in similar circumstances, within months of each other. Jools was 14. He'd spent the entire day mucking about at home with his friends, but an hour after they fell laughing and joking out of the front door, he was found unresponsive by his mum, Ellen Roome. Archie was 12. He was planning to go to the cinema with mum Hollie Dance later that day. Instead, she had a phone call to 999 that lasted four minutes and twenty-three seconds. Her "pranky, happy" son was unresponsive and after four months on life-support, he died. Isaac, an "August baby" who loved to be the joker, was 13. His mum, Lisa Kenevan, found him unresponsive and again tried to resuscitate him. When the police took away his devices, they found videos apparently recorded through TikTok (but not posted) showing Isaac pointing to his neck and laughing. All five parents believe their children died attempting a dangerous stunt known as the blackout challenge. It's a stunt that has been doing the rounds for decades and is banned on mainstream social media apps, including TikTok, because it is so dangerous. But the parents believe their children saw the challenge on TikTok - although they don't have proof. TikTok says the data around what their children were watching has likely been deleted under data privacy rules. The group of bereaved parents are suing TikTok in the US for wrongful death, a process that may see them find out what happened to their children, if that data can be recovered. Their first hearing is on Friday. Since the parents began campaigning for better rights and protections around young people online,...

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