Google faces school laptop AI lawsuit; says its features help young people

Google is facing a lawsuit over AI on school-issued Chromebooks. The complaint, filed in California Superior Court, alleges that a 13-year-old student experienced a mental health crisis after months of interacting with Google’s AI Mode. According to a New York Times report, it is likely the first lawsuit challenging Google’s integration of AI into apps used on school Chromebooks without adequately warning parents about potential risks. In response, Google said it is reviewing the lawsuit’s claims. The company also noted that it had worked extensively with health experts on features to help young people find emergency resources. “For years, we’ve shown hotline information directly in search when someone may be experiencing a mental health crisis. We’ve built those same protections into search A.I. features, connecting people with real-world support,” Google spokesman José Castañeda said. This follows Google's announcement that it plans to turn off certain AI services, including Gemini and Search, by default in K-12 schools in early 2027. Schools that choose to restore Search need to enable its existing AI features or select a new AI experience designed to support schoolwork. They would not receive an option to restore Search without AI. A Google executive attributed that decision to integrating the two technologies.

What does the lawsuit allege

The complaint identifies the student as Emma, a seventh grader in Charlotte, North Carolina. It alleges that she began interacting with AI Mode, a conversational feature within Google Search, while using her school-issued laptop. According to the complaint, Emma did not initially seek out Google’s AI. Instead, her web searches led her to AI Mode, where she eventually exchanged thousands of messages, including late at night. The lawsuit alleges that the AI encouraged her to believe she had several mental health conditions, undermined her trust in parents and counsellors, and contributed to plans to end her life. These are allegations in the complaint, rather than findings established by a court. Her parents learned of the crisis in mid-March after a monitoring service flagged writing in Google Docs and alerted her school, according to the report. They took her for an emergency psychiatric evaluation, and she now attends weekly therapy.

Why are school laptops central to the case

The lawsuit argues that Google’s network of school laptops and apps allowed it to introduce AI features without parents’ awareness or permission. School administrators can control access to some Google services, including Gemini and YouTube. However, the report says administrators have complained that they could not disable AI Mode and AI Overviews within Search separately. The complaint also alleges that Google’s systems did not notify Emma’s parents or school about warning signs in her searches and conversations. Her parents said the alert came from the school's separate monitoring company.