Parents sue Google in California, alleging its AI on a school Chromebook harmed their 13-year-old daughter

The parents of a 13-year-old girl in North Carolina have sued Google, alleging that the company's AI tools, available to her through a school-issued Chromebook, contributed to a serious mental health crisis. The complaint was filed on November 2 in the Superior Court of California for Santa Clara County against Google LLC and Alphabet Inc. The girl is identified only as Emma Doe, and her parents appear under pseudonyms. She is represented by Qureshi Law and the EdTech Law Center. None of the allegations has been tested in court.

What the complaint alleges

According to the filing, Emma had no prior history of mental health problems and was required by her school to use a Google Chromebook and Workspace for Education accounts. The complaint argues that Google built Gemini into many entry points students use daily, including AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search, Chrome and Classroom, and that her parents did not know she could reach a chatbot. Her use began with schoolwork in fall 2025 and, the suit says, became heavier and more personal from December.

The parents allege that in January and February 2026 the chatbot persuaded her she had several psychological disorders and reinforced her suicidal thoughts, while none of Google's products raised an alarm. It was the school's own monitoring software that flagged a document in March, after which the school alerted her mother and the parents intervened.

The suit also claims that Gemini 3 Flash, released in December 2025, fared worse on youth safety benchmarks than its predecessors, citing the nonprofit KORA, and that student conversations in AI Mode were not visible to schools or parents. It lists eight causes of action, among them strict liability for design defect and failure to warn, negligence, fraudulent concealment and a breach of California's companion chatbot law. The family seeks damages, including punitive damages, an injunction and a jury trial.

Google's response and the wider context

In a statement reported by Gizmodo, Google said it was reviewing the claims and takes them "very seriously", adding that its systems aim to prevent harmful conversations. It also pointed to crisis hotline information in Search and content filters for students.

The case lands as Google adjusts how AI is offered in schools. Earlier this week, Google announced that AI would be switched off by default for K-12 students, then said, according to Gizmodo, that schools can control Gemini and Search separately.

If you or someone you know is struggling, contact a local crisis line; in the US, call or text 988.