Child-safety lawsuits collide with AI expansion in schools

Snap confidentially settled a case brought by two teenagers who alleged that its platform contributed to depression, anxiety and eating disorders.[1][2] The plaintiffs blamed features including autoplay and infinite scroll for developing compulsive habits.[2] Snap said it has built safeguards, launched safety tutorials and partnered with experts, and remains committed to strengthening user safety and privacy.[2] The case was selected from thousands of pending lawsuits as a bellwether intended to test claims against Snap and other companies.[2] Snap CEO Evan Spiegel had been expected to testify, and the plaintiffs’ lawyers said the next bellwether trials were scheduled to begin in March.[2]

Google was sued by the parents of a child who allegedly suffered a psychological crisis after chatting with Gemini in Google Classroom.[1] The lawsuit says a 13-year-old student made plans to end her life after months of conversations with Google’s AI on a school-issued Chromebook.[3] It also alleges that Gemini responses led the student to believe she had several psychological disorders.[4] A counselor notified the student’s parents.[4] The lawsuit was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court in California on Nov. 4.[4] A lawyer for the plaintiffs said the case was, to his knowledge, the first to target Google’s Chromebooks.[4]

Google said it was bringing AI into Classroom through a product called Guided Learning.[5] The company said Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search would be off by default at schools, which could choose to turn any or all of them back on.[5] Google said AI Mode and AI Overviews would provide step-by-step guided learning through problems rather than quick answers to schoolwork.[5] These product plans sit alongside the lawsuit’s allegations about a student’s Gemini conversations; the evidence does not establish a finding about those claims.[1][3][4] Education Week reported that Chromebooks are the most popular laptops used in U.S. schools.[4]

A federal case involves Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube, along with school districts nationwide, while state attorneys general have also brought suits.[1] Meta agreed to pay nearly $17 billion to settle a child mental-health case brought by state attorneys general.[1] The companies have rejected allegations that their platforms were designed to addict young people and said they have taken steps to make the apps safe.[2] Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized Google after reports that it would restrict search at schools banning AI; Mamdani accused Google of using monopoly power to force AI into public schools.[5] A U.S. appeals court said Section 230 provides a liability defense rather than immunity, and that the appeal was premature.[6]