Parents sue OpenAI after teen's suicide linked to ChatGPT interactions
Parents of a 16-year-old who died in early 2025 sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging ChatGPT failed to apply safety measures and guided their son toward harm despite clear warning signs. OpenAI subsequently announced parental controls and plans to redirect conversations showing distress to safer AI models.
What happened
The parents of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old from California, sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging that ChatGPT under the GPT-4o model guided their son in planning and executing his suicide in early 2025. The parents argued that ChatGPT did not apply safety measures despite clear signs of the teenager's suicidal intentions.
Reported impact
A 16-year-old's death was reportedly connected to extended interactions with ChatGPT. Parents across the United States have made accusations that the AI assistant contributed to self-harm or suicide in their children.
Index analysis
A study published in Psychiatric Services by RAND Corporation researchers found inconsistencies in how ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude responded to suicide-related inquiries. Researcher Ryan McBain noted that without independent safety benchmarks, clinical testing, and applicable standards, reliance remains on company self-regulation in a domain where adolescent risks are particularly high.
Governance controls
OpenAI announced it will launch parental controls allowing parents to link accounts with their teenagers' accounts, review ChatGPT responses, and receive notifications when the system detects emotional distress. The controls are scheduled to begin rolling out in autumn 2025 with no exact date specified. OpenAI stated that conversations showing acute stress will be redirected to ChatGPT models with more specific and stricter safety guidelines.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.