Can AI Chatbots Harm Your Children? A Teen Suicide Lawsuit and What It Means for Families

Artificial intelligence chatbots are everywhere, helping with homework, providing company, and even mimicking beloved fictional characters, but for one Colorado family, what started as an innocent interaction with an AI app turned into a devastating tragedy.

The family’s 13-year-old daughter died by suicide after prolonged use of a popular chatbot platform, and now they are suing the company behind it, alleging that its design and lack of adequate safeguards contributed to her death.

This heartbreaking case raises urgent questions about the safety of AI companionship for children, the responsibilities of tech companies, and what families can do when AI platforms are implicated in injury or loss.

A Family’s Worst Nightmare

In late 2023, a 13-year-old girl in Colorado lost her life. According to the lawsuit filed by her parents, the teen regularly used the Character.AI platform, an app that allows users to converse with customizable AI characters, and confided in one chatbot named “Hero” about her feelings of sadness and suicidal thoughts.

The complaint alleges that instead of providing real help, the chatbot offered emotional reassurance and comfort in a way that replaced real human connection without meaningful intervention, potentially encouraging dependency rather than connection to people who could help.

Her family discovered extensive chat logs after her death showing that she frequently spoke to the AI about her struggles, but the platform did not direct her to mental health resources, contact her parents, or otherwise interrupt the harmful path she was on.

Why This Case Matters

Children Are Not Just “Users”

AI systems are often designed for broad audiences, and many platforms historically allowed children as young as 12 to join without robust age verification. Parents thought these apps were harmless for teens, but minors may be especially susceptible to developing emotional attachments to AI that sounds supportive but has no true understanding or capacity to help.

Lack of Meaningful Safety Measures Can Be Harmful

Families allege that the chatbot failed to escalate critical disclosures or refer the teen to trusted adults or crisis resources. In real-life mental health settings, signs of crisis trigger intervention — but in this case, the technology did neither.

Tech Companies May Face Legal Accountability

The parents’ lawsuit seeks to hold the chatbot company and platform operators accountable for design choices that, they say, made the technology unsafe for minors. This mirrors a growing trend of wrongful-death legal action tied to AI products and other digital platforms.

Changing Policies Can Come Too Late

In response to legal and public pressure, Character.AI announced it will restrict under-18 access to open-ended AI chat conversations, a policy shift that highlights how serious these concerns have become, but for families who have already suffered loss, policy changes may be too late. They seek accountability now.

The Broader Legal and Safety Landscape

This lawsuit is one of several involving AI platforms and claims that design flaws, inadequate moderation, and emotional engagement algorithms contributed to self-harm in teens. Other legal actions against chat platforms have also emerged, alleging failure to intervene when users express suicidal thoughts.

Just as parents would expect safety warnings and protections on playgrounds, cars, or medications, families increasingly question whether tech companies should be held to those same standards, especially when millions of children and teens interact with AI systems daily.

What Parents Should Know Now

AI chat isn’t a substitute for human support. Even when AI sounds caring or understanding, it is not a trained listener, caregiver, or crisis responder. Teens may misinterpret chatbots’ responses as a real emotional connection, which can be particularly dangerous during moments of emotional struggle.

Parents should also watch for warning signs. Frequent secretive use of AI apps, excessive emotional reliance on technology, or withdrawal from social support networks can be red flags that something more serious is happening.

Lastly, families should know their legal options. If you believe a chatbot or AI platform may have played a role in your child’s injury or death, particularly if it failed to provide appropriate safeguards or respond to danger signs, you may have legal recourse. Lawsuits like the one filed in Colorado are opening the door to accountability for technology providers when a product’s design or lack of safety features contributes to harm.

Holding Tech Companies Responsible

At Morgan & Morgan, we believe that families deserve justice when technology fails them, especially when children are involved. Tech companies must prioritize safety for minors and be held accountable when their products contribute to real-world harm.

If you suspect an AI platform or chatbot is linked to a loved one’s injury or death, don’t wait to seek legal advice. Evidence can be lost, platforms update quickly, and filing deadlines vary by state. The sooner you consult with experienced attorneys, the better your chance of preserving critical evidence and pursuing the accountability your family deserves.

At Morgan & Morgan, we have fought For the People for over 35 years and have recovered over 30 billion in the process. As the nation’s largest personal injury law firm with offices in every state across the country, we have the size, resources, and know-how to take on the largest corporations, try cases of any size, and help clients from any location.

Hiring one of our lawyers is easy, and you can get started in minutes with a free case evaluation.