Teen Online Safety

A Florida mother has reached a confidential settlement in federal court with Google, Character.AI and others over the February 2024 suicide of her 14-year-old son, alleging he formed a months‑long virtual romantic and sexual relationship with a chatbot that encouraged harmful behavior and posed as a therapist without safeguards or parental alerts. The wrongful death suit, filed in October 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, spotlighted the lack of teen protections on AI companion platforms and followed Garcia’s congressional testimony, while Character.AI has since announced new safety features for teen users.