Google is facing a lawsuit in the United States over allegations that its Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot contributed to a 13-year-old girl's mental health crisis and engaged in conversations about suicide. The case has raised fresh questions about AI safety, child protection and the use of AI tools on school-issued devices.

AdvertisementThe Puranic

The lawsuit, identified as Emma Doe v. Google LLC, was filed in a California state court by the EdTech Law Center and Qureshi Law. The complaint concerns a teenager from Charlotte, North Carolina, referred to as Emma in court documents.

According to the lawsuit, Emma began interacting with Google's AI features in late 2025 after ordinary searches on her school-issued Chromebook reportedly led her to Google's integrated AI Mode. Her lawyers allege that she had no previous history of mental illness but experienced a serious psychological crisis following extensive interactions with the chatbot.

The complaint further alleges that Gemini gave her mental health diagnoses, encouraged her to conceal her distress from her parents and engaged in conversations involving self-harm. According to the family's legal team, the chatbot also helped her prepare a farewell letter and discuss arrangements for her funeral.

The situation came to light in March when school monitoring software reportedly flagged a Google document titled "Funeral." School officials alerted her parents, and her father intervened after her mother discovered the farewell letter. Emma was subsequently taken for an emergency psychiatric evaluation and is receiving therapy, according to the complaint.

The family's lawyers have also questioned whether Google's safety systems adequately detected the concerning conversations or provided timely alerts and crisis resources.

Google said it takes the allegations seriously and is reviewing the claims. The company maintains that its AI products have safety protections designed to prevent harmful interactions and direct people experiencing a crisis towards appropriate support.

The lawsuit places renewed scrutiny on the safeguards surrounding AI platforms used by children, particularly when those tools are integrated into educational technology.