Michelle Ortiz, a heartbroken Delaware mom, is taking on social media juggernaut TikTok, blaming the platform for her teenage son’s untimely death after he got caught up in the notorious ‘Blackout Challenge.’

This disturbing trend reportedly dares users to suffocate themselves with anything from belts to purse straps, all for a shot at internet fame.

Seventeen-year-old Jaedon Bovell, once a popular TikTok creator with more than 25,000 followers, was found dead in June 2020. Ortiz says Jaedon’s love of trending online stunts drew him into a deadly obsession, ultimately leading to tragedy when he attempted the challenge using a jiu-jitsu belt attached to his bunk bed. His final video—posted just a day before he died—showed him singing and dancing carefree, proof his mother says, “He had no clue it could end his life.”

Ortiz isn’t fighting alone; she’s joined by five grieving families from the UK in a bombshell wrongful death suit targeting TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, in Delaware Superior Court. The legal action, amended last year to add Jaedon’s story to the roster, accuses the tech giant of reckless algorithms and pushing dangerous challenges onto minors. Their complaint lays out a chilling pattern: From Jaedon’s death in Delaware to a 12-year-old Colorado boy who reportedly died after attempting the same trend with a shoelace.

Outside the Wilmington courthouse, Ortiz told reporters her mission is clear: “I’ll stop at nothing to make sure no other mom suffers this agony.”

Plaintiffs say the app made itself appear safe for children, while in reality steered young users toward risky content. Liam Walsh, another parent in the lawsuit who lost his daughter Maia, said, “Everything changed when TikTok landed on her phone. We were led to believe it was secure for teens.”

As the judge weighs TikTok’s bid to toss the suit, this case is shining a harsh spotlight on social media’s influence—and the heartbreaking consequences when popularity collides with perilous online fads.