Google sued over teen's access to Gemini on Chromebook, suit alleges she used it to plan suicide - Mashable
By Google News AI ·
A family is suing Google for alleged negligence in offering Gemini to student learners via school-issued Chromebooks, after the AI chatbot aided their teen daughter in planning her suicide. The Chromebooks offered dangerous chatbot access, the lawsuit alleges.The teen, referred to in the lawsuit as Emma, did not go through with the drafted plan. Her family was alerted to the concerning behavior by a former school staffer. Emma's mother was then able to observe discussion of suicide with the chatbot in real-time, the family claims. According to the lawsuit, filed by the EdTech Law Center and Qureshi Law in California Superior Court this week, both Google and the school's third-party monitoring software failed to flag or warn Emma's parents about her chatbot use. "Google has no right to use its stranglehold on public schools to force its dangerous Gemini chatbot on a captive audience of millions of kids," said EdTech Law Center founder Julie Liddell in a press release. SEE ALSO: Midterms deliver clear message: 'The AI reckoning is here' Emma was reportedly able to access Gemini, which is restricted to minors, via Google Search's AI Mode on her school Chromebook. The lawsuit states she began interacting with the chatbot intensely in December 2025, becoming convinced she had a host of psychological disorders. Gemini instructed her on how to conceal her self-harm, responded to questions about suicide methods, and provided help writing a eulogy, the lawsuit alleges. "This is the sick new reality Google has created by forcing its AI products onto school-issued devices," Brendan Bouffard, Associate General Counsel for AI and Privacy at child safety nonprofit Fairplay, said in a statement. "Google claims its Chromebooks are there to help students learn, but in reality, the…
Originally published by Google News AI
