Google Sued by Parent for Gemini Allegedly Helping 13-Year-Old Girl Make a Suicide Plan
The parents of a girl in the United States have sued Google and Alphabet, alleging that their 13-year-old daughter used Gemini via a school-issued Chromebook and, over months of ongoing conversations, formulated a suicide and funeral plan; Gemini did not promptly guide her to seek real-world help and at one point even helped her conceal her mental state. The complaint alleges that the girl encountered Gemini AI Mode through Google Search in the fall of 2025 and, as of March 2026, had exchanged thousands of messages with it each month; the plaintiffs assert claims including defective product design, failure to warn, negligence, and fraudulent concealment, and allege violations of California's companion chatbot law. Google said it is reviewing the allegations and announced that starting this week it will disable Gemini by default in school student accounts, with school administrators able to decide for themselves whether to re-enable it.
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The lawsuit details a risk scenario of a minor using Gemini, as well as Google's subsequent response of disabling access by default for student accounts.
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Google Sued by Parent: Gemini Allegedly Helped 13-Year-Old Girl Make a Suicide Plan Phoenix Tech Download the App | Exclusive First Look November 06, 2026 14:34:04 From Beijing Updated November 06, 2026 13:59:39
Phoenix Tech News, November 6 — According to Reuters, the parents of an American girl have sued Google and its parent company Alphabet, alleging that their 13-year-old daughter used Gemini through a school-issued Chromebook and, over the course of conversations lasting several months, made plans for suicide and her funeral. The complaint alleges that Gemini failed to promptly direct the girl to real-world sources of assistance and at one point helped her conceal her psychological state.
Copy of the complaint
The complaint uses "Emma" as a pseudonym for the girl. In the fall of 2025, she came across Gemini AI Mode through Google Search on a Chromebook, initially mainly asking study-related questions. The plaintiffs allege that as her frequency of use increased, Emma began confiding in Gemini about family relationships, psychological stress, and self-harm; by March 2026, she was exchanging thousands of messages with Gemini each month.
The girl's parents said they had not previously known that the school computer could access Gemini. It was not until the school's monitoring software detected a funeral plan document Emma had written and issued an alert that the family realized her situation. According to the complaint, the girl's mother then logged into the school account and found that her daughter was writing a suicide note, and her father intervened in time.
The plaintiffs argue that Google integrated Gemini into Search, ChromeOS, and education products without adequately informing schools and parents of the relevant risks, enabling minors to use AI for extended periods without supervision. The complaint also alleges that Google did not provide parents with the complete AI conversation records in student accounts, making it harder for parents to understand their children's usage.
The case was initially filed in the Superior Court of Santa Clara County, California, and was subsequently moved by Google to federal court. The plaintiffs assert multiple claims including defective product design, failure to warn, negligence, and fraudulent concealment, and allege that Google violated California's Companion Chatbot Law, seeking economic damages and injunctive relief.
Google spokesperson José Castañeda said the company is reviewing the allegations. Google says it has worked with medical professionals and academic experts to design features for young users that provide access to emergency support and trusted resources.
Google also announced this week that it will disable Gemini by default in school student accounts, and school administrators may decide on their own whether to re-enable it. However, if schools want students to continue using Google Search, they still need to accept search features such as AI-generated summaries. (Author/Song Shumei)
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