Parents of California teen claim ChatGPT became son’s ‘suicide coach’

An Orange County, California, family has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that the company’s ChatGPT encouraged their teenage son to commit suicide.

The lawsuit claims 16-year-old Adam Raine of Rancho Santa Margarita developed a deep emotional dependence on the chatbot, which repeatedly encouraged him to die by suicide instead of guiding him toward help.

The parents discovered thousands of messages between their son and ChatGPT, indicating that the bot became a sort of ‘suicide coach’ rather than offering support.

“ChatGPT was functioning exactly as designed: to continually encourage and validate whatever Adam expressed, including his most harmful and self-destructive thoughts, in a way that felt deeply personal,” the parents allege in their lawsuit.

Adam’s parents said he began using ChatGPT in September 2024 to help with difficult schoolwork. Over time, the chatbot became his “closest confidant,” and he confided in it about his anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

The parents allege that instead of urging Adam to seek professional help, ChatGPT validated his feelings and deepened his despair.

Adam took his own life on April 11, 2025.

On Tuesday, OpenAI posted a blog outlining its efforts to better support users in emotional distress, including new safeguards, expert collaboration, and planned features like emergency contact outreach and parental controls. The company not yet responded directly to the lawsuit.

If you or someone you know is struggling, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or visit 988lifeline.org for free, confidential support 24/7.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTLA. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTLA staff before being published.