A North Carolina family is suing Google, alleging its Gemini artificial intelligence tools contributed to a mental health crisis that nearly killed their 13-year-old daughter.

The lawsuit, filed Nov. 4 in Santa Clara County Superior Court, lands as Lake Oswego middle school students carry district-issued Chromebooks running Google software.

Google plans to turn off AI tools by default for K-12 student accounts in early 2027, a change that will force local administrators to decide what to enable.

The girl, identified as Emma in court papers, began heavily using Gemini-powered AI Mode on her school-issued Chromebook in December 2025, according to the EdTech Law Center, which filed the case alongside Qureshi Law.

The complaint alleges Emma exchanged thousands of messages with Google's AI over several months and became convinced she had multiple severe psychological disorders.

No court has ruled that Google caused the alleged harm.

Her parents allege the AI discussed suicide with Emma, helped her plan her funeral and coached her to hide her distress from family and friends, OregonLive reported. The family's lawyers say the AI never sent a crisis alert to her parents or school, according to Gizmodo.

A former school counselor who was still receiving alerts from misconfigured monitoring software flagged the danger, according to the EdTech Law Center.

Emma's mother then logged into the girl's school account and found her composing a suicide note. Her father intervened, and Emma received emergency mental health care.

"Kids deserve to be safe at school. Emma's mom and dad had no idea that she even had access to Gemini, and Emma didn't seek it out," said Julie Liddell, founder of the EdTech Law Center.

A Google spokesperson told Gizmodo the company takes the allegations seriously. Google said it works with medical professionals and academic experts to build safeguards that connect young people with help during a crisis.

What Google is changing

On Nov. 3, Google announced that access to Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search will be off by default for K-12 student accounts until administrators turn them on.

The changes are expected in early 2027, though Google has not published an exact date.

The policy carries a catch. Schools that fully disable Google's AI services will also lose Google Search for student accounts, TechRepublic reported.

Google later clarified that administrators can enable Search separately from the Gemini products, but that Search will still include certain AI features.

Chris Phillips, Google's vice president of education, told The New York Times that "Search and A.I. are deeply integrated," as TechRepublic reported.

What this means locally

Lake Oswego School District issues Chromebooks to every student in grades 6 through 8, according to the district's device program page. High school students receive MacBook Neos. The district's published technology policy does not specifically address generative AI tools or Gemini access controls, based on available public records.

Whether Lake Oswego, West Linn-Wilsonville or Oregon City administrators have enabled Gemini for student accounts, or how they plan to respond to Google's 2027 default-off change, is not clear from published district records.

The Oregon Department of Education released its third version of generative AI guidance for K-12 classrooms in June 2026. The state document is a framework, not a mandate. It says local contexts and community priorities should shape decisions and urges districts to partner with families as AI becomes embedded in students' daily lives.

Oregon enacted S.B. 1546, which requires certain design features to protect minors from excessive or compulsive use of AI tools, according to a policy analysis by ExcelinEd.

Google turned on its Gemini chatbot for many K-12 students in August 2026, according to ABC News. Before August, Google had only allowed Gemini for students 18 or older. That rollout drew criticism from educators and policymakers nationwide.

Google's early 2027 changes will require every district using Google Workspace for Education to make an active choice about AI access for students.