A Delaware mother, grieving the loss of her 17-year-old son, claims he tragically died while attempting a perilous TikTok challenge known as the “Blackout Challenge.” This trend reportedly urges participants to strangle themselves until they lose consciousness using belts, purse strings, or similar objects. Her son is among at least five minors involved in a wrongful death lawsuit currently under consideration by a Delaware judge.

Michelle Ortiz, the mother of Jaedon Bovell, expressed her heartbreak last week to the Delaware News Journal outside the Wilmington courthouse, where the case is unfolding. “He had no idea it was going to kill him,” she said, reflecting on her son’s tragic involvement in the challenge.

In 2020, Jaedon succumbed to self-asphyxiation after using a jiu-jitsu belt attached to his bunk bed. Ortiz explained that her son was “mentally drawn” into the “Blackout Challenge” as he became increasingly engrossed in social media. His presence on TikTok had grown significantly, amassing over 25,000 followers, which Ortiz described as “TikTok famous.”

Jaedon’s account remains active, showcasing videos of him dancing and participating in various trends. His last post, dated June 1, 2020—just a day before his death—features him dancing and singing.

Reflecting on the tragedy, Ortiz questioned, “Does he look like he would have killed himself?” referencing his final post. “He loved himself. He knew he was fine. He was beautiful and smart and funny as hell,” she told the Journal, emphasizing her son’s vibrant personality and the devastating impact of the challenge.

Ortiz joins five other families, all from the United Kingdom, who are suing two TikTok entities and the app’s parent company, ByteDance, in a lawsuit filed in Delaware Superior Court. One of the entities is incorporated in Delaware, per the Journal. Their legal complaint was first filed last year without Ortiz but has since been amended to add her and Bovell’s case, which was heard on Jan. 16 by a judge in Wilmington after TikTok filed a motion to dismiss the suit.

The complaint says ByteDance’s “design and distribution decisions, including promotion of this and similar challenges to minor users,” as well as its “harmful algorithmic targeting and discrimination” are to blame for the deaths. It lists juveniles who are not named in the lawsuit as some of the “multiple” children who have been affected by the “Blackout Challenge.”

A 12-year-old boy in Colorado, for instance, is said to have died after attempting the challenge “by choking himself with a shoelace,” according to the complaint.

“I’m not doing this for any other reason than I don’t want another mother to feel this way,” Ortiz told the Journal on why she joined the lawsuit.

Liam Walsh, who lost his daughter Maia, said, “Nothing was wrong until they downloaded TikTok on their phones with our permission because TikTok made out that it was safe for a 13-year-old to be on there.”

Matthew Bergman, an attorney representing the families, blasts TikTok as being a “For You page that deluges young people, young kids with dangerous material,” according to local ABC affiliate WPVI. “In this case, dangerous choking challenges,” he told the outlet. “Not material kids want to see, material they can’t turn away from.”

Lawyers for TikTok argue that the case should be dismissed under the First Amendment and have stated in court that the current law, dubbed the Communications Decency Act, bars internet companies from liability for content put out by third parties.

“Our deepest sympathies remain with these families,” a TikTok spokesperson told WPVI on the pending litigation. “We strictly prohibit content that promotes or encourages dangerous behavior. Using robust detection systems and dedicated enforcement teams to proactively identify and remove this content, we remove 99% that’s found to break these rules before it is reported to us.”