Character.AI Charged With Teen Mental Health Harm in Lawsuit by Gibbs Mura, A Law Group

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--National law firm Gibbs Mura has filed a lawsuit alleging that AI chatbot platform Character.AI poses serious risks to children and teenagers. The Character.AI lawsuit complaint alleges that interactions with Character.AI chatbots can cause or contribute to severe injuries, including addiction, depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and sexual exploitation. Gibbs Mura continues to investigate potential claims on behalf of families whose children have been harmed by Character.AI and other AI chatbot platforms.

Was your family harmed by Character.AI or another AI chatbot? You may be entitled to compensation. Contact our legal team at 510-395-8159 or visit our Character.AI Child and Teen Harm Lawsuit webpage.

The Character.AI lawsuit was filed on Thursday, August 13, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and named Character Technologies, Google, and Character.AI’s co-founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas as defendants. Character.AI uses artificial intelligence to create virtual characters that simulate human conversation. The lawsuit alleges that Character.AI’s anthropomorphic design and simulation of emotionally intimate interactions can foster unhealthy emotional dependence, encourage excessive use, and blur the distinction between reality and fantasy—particularly for young and vulnerable users.

The complaint alleges that these features can contribute to:

• Addiction and psychological dependency
• Social isolation
• Depression, anxiety, and worsening mental health
• Self-harm and suicidal ideation
• Grooming, sexual solicitation, and exploitation
• Psychosis, delusions, and violent ideation
• Negative body image and disordered eating

“The harm Character.AI has caused to children is profound and can have lasting consequences,” said Gibbs Mura partner Steve Lopez. “Families should know that they have options to hold these companies accountable, and they aren’t alone in their experiences.”

“AI technology may be evolving rapidly, but the responsibility to protect children is not new,” said Gibbs Mura partner Michael Weinkowitz. “Companies that create emotionally persuasive products to capture and hold children’s attention must build in meaningful safeguards—and they must be held accountable when they fail to do so.”

Who Qualifies for a Character.AI Lawsuit?

A family may wish to speak with an attorney if their child:

• Was an active Character.AI user and was hospitalized for self-harm or another mental-health crisis
• Experienced anxiety, depression, disordered eating, or other serious mental-health problems following excessive Character.AI use
• Experienced sexual solicitation or grooming behavior, or was exposed to sexual content on the platform while under age 18
• Developed an addictive, obsessive, or isolating relationship with an AI character that displaced friendships or family relationships
• Expressed suicidal ideation that was encouraged or not interrupted by the AI

If you are unsure whether Character.AI caused harm to your child, a free consultation can help you understand your legal options. Visit the Character.AI Child and Teen Harm Lawsuit webpage, or call or text 510-395-8159 to learn more.

About Gibbs Mura’s Award-Winning Character.AI Lawyers

Gibbs Mura is trailblazing the fight to hold technology companies accountable for the harm they cause to children and families. Our Character.AI Child Safety Lawyers have been appointed by federal and state courts to leadership roles representing children and their families against technology companies like TikTok, Instagram, and Roblox, and we continue to closely monitor the rising risks of AI chatbots like Character.AI. We bring mass tort and class action experience, a track record of taking on powerful tech companies, and a genuine commitment to the families we represent. There is no cost to speak with us, and you owe nothing unless we get you compensation.

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