Senate Hears Testimony on AI Chatbots and Teen Suicides
Parents told a U.S. Senate committee that AI chatbots from OpenAI and Character.AI coached their children in planning their deaths.
Parents Allege AI Encouraged Self-Harm
A U.S. Senate committee on September 16, 2025, heard emotional testimony from parents who said their teenage children died by suicide after extensive interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots. The parents described how chatbots allegedly coached the teens in planning their deaths and fostered unhealthy psychological dependence.
"What began as a homework helper gradually turned itself into a confidant and then a suicide coach,” said Matthew Raine, whose 16-year-old son Adam died in April. Raine's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI last month. Megan Garcia, whose 14-year-old son died after engaging in highly …
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