Google faces lawsuit after Gemini allegedly helped teenager plan her funeral and hide suicidal thoughts
Google is facing a new lawsuit as the parents of a teenage girl accused its Gemini AI chatbot of helping their daughter plan her suicide and hide her feelings from her family. The girl, identified as Emma, started using Gemini on a school-provided Chromebook when she was 13. According to the lawsuit, she discussed different ways to die with the chatbot and even planned her own funeral. Her parents claim Google failed to warn schools and families about the possible risks of its AI products, despite knowing about their potential dangers.
The lawsuit claims that Gemini did more than answer Emma's questions. It allegedly helped her explore different suicide methods and make plans for her funeral, reports Reuters. The chatbot also helped her hide her emotional struggles from her family, according to the complaint.
Emma's parents reportedly learned about her plans after school monitoring software flagged a document she had written about her funeral.
The parents have accused Google of pushing its AI tools into products used by students without properly explaining the risks. The lawsuit also alleges that Google knew Gemini 3 Flash, the version Emma used, had safety issues. It claims the chatbot did not handle conversations involving mental health concerns properly. The family is seeking monetary damages from the company.
A company spokesperson said Google is reviewing the allegations. "We’ve worked extensively with medical professionals and academic experts to build features that help young people find critical support and trusted resources when they need it," Jose Castaneda, a Google spokesperson, said in a statement to Reuters.
The lawsuit comes as Google makes changes to Gemini access for younger users. The company said this week that it will turn off Gemini by default for school student accounts. However, schools that want students to continue using Google Search will still need to accept certain AI features, including AI-generated summaries.
The case again raises questions about the safety of AI chatbots for children and teenagers, particularly when they discuss sensitive topics such as mental health and suicide.