North Carolina parents sue Google over teen’s Gemini chats

The parents’ lawsuit centers on their 13-year-old daughter’s exchanges with Google AI tools.[1] Bloomberg reports that she sent Gemini thousands of messages, many detailing anxiety, depression and methods of committing suicide.[1] The New York Times reports that after chatting with Google’s AI for months, the student made plans to end her life.[2] The reports describe allegations and events laid out in the lawsuit; the available evidence does not establish a court finding on the claims.

The student used a school-issued Chromebook for the conversations, according to Bloomberg and the New York Times.[1][2] Bloomberg reports that by the time the school notified her parents, she had already been corresponding with Google about suicidal thoughts for months.[1] Bloomberg Law describes the interactions as beginning with a handful of school-related Gemini exchanges in autumn and becoming a life-threatening obsession by winter.[3] Together, those details put the school device and the timing of notification at the center of the account, without establishing what safeguards were in place.

The lawsuit was filed in California Superior Court on Monday, according to the New York Times.[2] Bloomberg reports that the complaint was filed in California state court.[1] Google removed the lawsuit to federal court on Wednesday, Bloomberg Law reports.[3] The New York Times characterizes the case as the latest in a wave of litigation over Big Tech’s effects on young people.[2] The evidence provided does not describe Google’s response to the allegations or the court’s assessment of them.

In a separate description of its education tools, Google says Guided Learning is an interactive study tool in Gemini that coaches students through problems using open-ended questions and step-by-step breakdowns.[4] Google says the approach is intended to support “productive struggle” without overwhelming students.[4] The company says Guided Learning in Classroom is available and that it was beginning a Search pilot in select U.S. schools later that month.[4] Google also says school administrators have full control to enable or disable AI products for K-12 student accounts.[4] The evidence does not say these tools or controls were involved in the lawsuit.