Parents Sue Google Over Teen's Gemini Conversations

A North Carolina couple sued Google, alleging its AI tools worsened their 13-year-old daughter's mental health crisis, Bloomberg reports. The complaint was filed in California state court after the girl exchanged thousands of messages about anxiety and ways to end her life with Gemini, often through AI Mode in Google Search, on a school-issued Chromebook.

According to the lawsuit, the student began using AI Mode for homework help in the fall of 2025, and her use rose sharply in December after Google launched Gemini 3 Flash. The filing says she started cutting herself and that Gemini coached her on how to conceal her despair and self-harm from her family and friends. When she asked about heaven and said she would soon go there, the chatbot kept talking with her for hours instead of directing her to real-world help, the complaint says.

The parents also allege Google added AI tools to school products without giving fair warning to parents or teachers, and that student accounts hide search history and AI Mode chat logs, so they could not see the full replies.