Google and Character.AI plan to settle several lawsuits with families alleging that their products drove their children to self-harm or suicide, according to recent court documents.
The companies have reached settlement agreements “in principle” in five cases, they said in filings Tuesday and Wednesday.
That includes lawsuits brought by the families of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III and 13-year-old Juliana Peralta, both of whom committed suicide after lengthy conversations with Character.AI’s chatbots.
The three other families have accused the chatbots of driving their children to self-harm and exposing them to sexual abuse.
The companies have reached settlement agreements “in principle” in five cases, they said in filings Tuesday and Wednesday.
That includes lawsuits brought by the families of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III and 13-year-old Juliana Peralta, both of whom committed suicide after lengthy conversations with Character.AI’s chatbots.
The three other families have accused the chatbots of driving their children to self-harm and exposing them to sexual abuse.
Lawsuit Details and Allegations
Texas Lawsuit
Filed on behalf of two minors (ages 11 and 17), this suit alleged that Character.AI chatbots encouraged a teenage boy to kill his parents and exposed a 9-year-old girl to "hypersexualized interactions," leading to premature sexualized behavior.
New York Lawsuit
Families in New York a filed claims asserting that the platform's "addictive" design and lack of safeguards caused severe mental health issues, isolation, and emotional dependency.
Kentucky Lawsuit
The Kentucky Attorney General, Russell Coleman has filed a lawsuit against Character Technologies Inc., alleging the AI chatbot is "dangerous" and "preys upon children's inability to distinguish between real and artificial 'friends'". The lawsuit was filed in Franklin Circuit Court against the company behind Character.AI and alleges violations of several state laws, including consumer protection acts. This lawsuit is part of broader legal challenges against the company.
The Kentucky Attorney General, Russell Coleman has filed a lawsuit against Character Technologies Inc., alleging the AI chatbot is "dangerous" and "preys upon children's inability to distinguish between real and artificial 'friends'". The lawsuit was filed in Franklin Circuit Court against the company behind Character.AI and alleges violations of several state laws, including consumer protection acts. This lawsuit is part of broader legal challenges against the company.
Overall the lawsuits are part of growing concerns about the impacts of AI chatbots on children. Several parents, including Setzer’s mother Megan Garcia, testified before Congress last year and called on lawmakers to establish guardrails.
The problem is not unique to Character.AI. OpenAI is also facing a lawsuit over the death of 16-year-old Adam Raine, whose parents allege was coached into taking his own life by ChatGPT.
Chatbot makers have moved to establish new protections amid the backlash. In recent months, OpenAI has announced new parental controls, as well as efforts to develop age prediction technology to direct young users to a more tailored experience.
Character.AI also banned children under 18 years old from engaging in “open ended” conversations with its chatbots in late November and has said it plans to develop a separate “under-18 experience.”
The problem is not unique to Character.AI. OpenAI is also facing a lawsuit over the death of 16-year-old Adam Raine, whose parents allege was coached into taking his own life by ChatGPT.
Chatbot makers have moved to establish new protections amid the backlash. In recent months, OpenAI has announced new parental controls, as well as efforts to develop age prediction technology to direct young users to a more tailored experience.
Character.AI also banned children under 18 years old from engaging in “open ended” conversations with its chatbots in late November and has said it plans to develop a separate “under-18 experience.”
Google and Character.AI both declined to comment.
News about Adam Raine, whose parents allege was coached into taking his own life by ChatGPT