Parents Sue Google, Claim AI Search Helped 13-Year-Old Plan Potential Suicide

The parents of a 13-year-old girl have sued Google, alleging that the company’s artificial intelligence technology enabled their daughter to plan a potential suicide and funeral using a school-issued computer.

The lawsuit, filed on Monday in a California court, is reportedly the first known case accusing Google of negligence over AI features integrated into its Chromebook laptops, which are widely used by students.

Lawsuit Raises Concerns Over AI Safety in Schools

The teenager, identified in the complaint as Emma, could not access Google’s Gemini app or OpenAI’s ChatGPT because her school had blocked both platforms.

However, she was still able to use Google's search engine, which includes AI-powered features.

According to the lawsuit, Emma had previously been a happy and academically successful student who played music and participated in the Girl Scouts, with no known history of mental illness.

The complaint alleges that within months of using Google's AI-powered search features on her school laptop, she experienced a serious psychological crisis.

On March 17, the school's monitoring software flagged a document titled “Funeral”, prompting officials to notify her parents. Her mother later discovered her writing a farewell letter in real time after accessing her daughter's account, while her father intervened.

Lawyers Question Google's Safeguards

One of the family's lawyers, Andrew Liddell, told AFP that schools should disable Google Search until the company removes AI Mode or guarantees adequate protection for students.

Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said the company was reviewing the allegations and taking the matter seriously.

Google maintains that its AI Mode includes safeguards against self-harm and attempts to bypass those protections. However, Liddell argued that the alleged repeated interactions demonstrated that the safeguards were insufficient.

AI Companies Face Growing Legal Scrutiny

The lawsuit comes amid increasing legal scrutiny of artificial intelligence companies over alleged links between their products and harm to young users.

OpenAI is facing several wrongful death lawsuits, including one filed by the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who died by suicide after allegedly receiving harmful advice from ChatGPT.

Google and Character.AI also agreed in January to settle several lawsuits brought by families of teenagers outside court.

Separately, Google, TikTok and Meta have filed lawsuits challenging a California law restricting social media companies from providing addictive features to users under 16. The law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September, is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.

AFP