The parents of a 13-year-old girl have filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging that their daughter used the company’s artificial intelligence-powered search features to plan a possible suicide and her funeral.
The case, filed on Monday, 2 November, in a California court, is believed to be the first to accuse Google of negligence over AI features available through its search engine on a school-issued Chromebook. The laptops are widely used in schools, where access to certain online services is often restricted.
The girl, identified in the complaint as Emma, could not access Google’s Gemini app or OpenAI’s ChatGPT because her school had blocked both services. However, she remained able to use Google Search, which offers AI-powered features.
According to the lawsuit, Emma had no previous history of mental illness but experienced what her family described as a serious psychological crisis within months of using the search engine.
On 17 March, school monitoring software alerted staff to a document titled “Funeral”. The school contacted her parents, and her mother later discovered that Emma was writing a farewell letter. Her father intervened after finding out what was happening.
The lawsuit raises questions about whether existing safeguards on AI-powered search tools are sufficient to protect children, particularly when the services are accessed through devices provided by schools.
“Schools should turn search off and keep it off until Google removes AI mode from search or ensures that every single student is always safe when they’re interacting with AI,” Andrew Liddell, one of the family’s lawyers, told AFP on Thursday, 5 November.
Google said it was examining the allegations and took the matter seriously. Company spokesperson Jose Castaneda said its AI Mode included safeguards designed to prevent self-harm and attempts to bypass those protections.
Growing legal scrutiny of technology companies
The lawsuit comes as major technology companies face increasing legal pressure over alleged harm linked to their AI products.
OpenAI is facing several wrongful death lawsuits, including a case brought by the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine. They allege that ChatGPT provided harmful advice before their son died by suicide.
Google and Character.AI also agreed in January to settle several lawsuits filed by families of teenagers outside court.
Separately, Google, TikTok and Meta filed lawsuits against California on Wednesday, seeking to block a state law aimed at restricting addictive social media features for users under 16.
Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September, the legislation is scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2027. The legal challenges add to wider disputes over how technology companies should protect young users from potential harm associated with their platforms.
