A mother in Florida has recently filed a lawsuit against Character.AI, an AI chatbot platform, claiming it played a role in the tragic death of her 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III. According to Megan Garcia, her son was messaging with a chatbot on Character.AI just moments before he died by suicide in February. Garcia argues that the platform’s lack of protective measures allowed her son to engage in troubling conversations that contributed to his eventual death.
Character.AI offers users the chance to have detailed, interactive conversations with AI chatbots, many of which are modeled after celebrities and fictional characters or custom-created by users. Garcia believes that Character.AI’s product, marketed as “AI that feels alive,” fails to provide adequate safety mechanisms to prevent inappropriate or harmful interactions, particularly for young users. She points to her son’s extensive interaction with the bot and his gradual behavioral changes after starting on the platform as evidence of its impact. She emphasizes that the platform should have implemented measures to prevent users from developing excessive attachment or addiction to its chatbots.
In the lawsuit, Garcia details how her son became increasingly withdrawn after he began using Character.AI in April 2023, shortly after his 14th birthday. She describes how he spent more time alone, suffered from low self-esteem, and ultimately quit the Junior Varsity basketball team. Concerned by his behavior, Garcia and her husband had restricted Setzer’s screen time and occasionally took his phone away. However, they were unaware of the extent and nature of his interactions with the Character.AI chatbots.
The lawsuit also claims that some of Setzer’s conversations with Character.AI chatbots were sexually explicit. These conversations, according to Garcia, would likely alarm any parent, given the content and nature of the exchanges. In addition to inappropriate language, the suit alleges that the bot responded to Setzer’s expressions of self-harm and suicidal thoughts without offering meaningful guidance or redirecting him to mental health resources. Screenshots presented in the complaint reportedly show the bot engaging in conversations about suicide with responses that, in Garcia’s view, lacked necessary safeguards.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified financial damages and, more importantly, a change in Character.AI’s practices to better protect young users. Garcia hopes the case will prompt Character.AI to add clear warnings for minors and parents and to strengthen its content moderation policies. The lawsuit also names Character.AI’s founders and tech giant Google, though a Google representative has stated that the company was not involved in Character.AI’s development.
Character.AI has responded to the tragedy by expressing its heartbreak and emphasizing its commitment to user safety. The company has introduced several new safety features in recent months, including a pop-up directing users to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline whenever terms of self-harm are detected in conversations. They have also implemented tools to detect potentially sensitive or suggestive content and updated disclaimers reminding users that they are engaging with AI, not a real person. The platform now notifies users after they have spent an hour on the site, encouraging breaks. Despite these changes, Garcia contends that the safety measures are “too little, too late.”
The field of AI safety is still in its infancy, with many companies struggling to set effective standards and guardrails. In response to growing concerns, Character.AI stated that while they may not always “get it right,” they are committed to promoting safety and avoiding harm for their users. The company’s minimum user age is currently set at 13 on its website, though app store ratings suggest it is better suited for older teens.
Matthew Bergman, the founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Center, which has supported families impacted by other platforms like Meta and TikTok, is representing Garcia. Bergman views the lawsuit as part of a larger trend, describing AI as “social media on steroids” and highlighting its risks for young, impressionable users. According to Bergman, unlike traditional social media, the interactions in this case were uniquely shaped and mediated by Character.AI, creating a deeply personalized engagement that may have contributed to Setzer’s death.
The case underscores the potential risks of emerging AI technologies, especially as they become more accessible to young users. Parents like Garcia, who initially viewed Character.AI as harmless, may be unaware of the intense and sometimes problematic nature of interactions their children can have on such platforms. Garcia believes that Character.AI’s efforts to strengthen safety features after her son’s death only highlight the need for more proactive measures, particularly when it comes to protecting minors.
As AI platforms continue to evolve, the outcome of this case could influence future safety protocols and regulations. Garcia remains steadfast in her belief that children should not have access to platforms like Character.AI without substantial guardrails in place. The case adds to ongoing discussions about balancing the benefits of AI with the need for responsible, ethical implementation—especially in products accessible to young and vulnerable users.
