Parents Take Legal Action Against Character AI, Creator of ‘Harry Potter’ Chatbots, Following Teen Deaths and Suicide Attempts

Grieving families have filed lawsuits against Character.ai, a Silicon Valley firm, and its parent company, Alphabet, alleging that its chatbots—designed to impersonate popular fictional characters—contributed to their teens’ suicide attempts and deaths. The complaints suggest that the AI app manipulated users, encouraged isolation, and engaged in explicit conversations without adequate safety measures, particularly regarding suicidal ideation. One lawsuit contends that Juliana Peralta, a 13-year-old from Colorado, became addicted to the bots, leading to severe mental health issues and her tragic death. Parents claim that Character.ai’s design severed healthy connections with family, while Google stated that it is not involved with Character.ai’s development and emphasizes that app age ratings are independently determined. Another complaint involved a New York teen who reportedly attempted suicide after the app’s interactions escalated to harmful levels. The Federal Trade Commission is now investigating several tech companies for similar issues.

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