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NOPE Incident Tracker

Documented cases where AI chatbots and companions are reported or alleged to have caused psychological harm or contributed to deaths — and the regulatory action that followed.

118 incidents reported since 2016

31

Lawsuits

23

Regulatory

43

Affecting Minors

Timeline

2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026

4 of 118 incidents

Filters:
Severity: High
AI image-morphing tools (unspecified) Feb 2026

Chennai AI-Morphed Image Harassment of Ex-Colleague (India)

A woman in Chennai was arrested in February 2026 for using AI tools to create obscene morphed images of a former senior colleague, setting up fake Instagram accounts in the victim's name and circulating the defamatory content to company employees to settle a personal grudge. Tamil Nadu's State Cyber Crime Investigation Centre traced and arrested her.

Severity: Critical
Meta AI Aug 2025 Affecting Minor(s)

New Mexico v. Meta (AI Chatbot Sexual Exploitation of Minors)

New Mexico's Attorney General sued Meta Platforms and Mark Zuckerberg alleging Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp formed a 'breeding ground' for child predators, later expanding to evidence that Meta's AI chatbot personas were permitted under internal policy to engage minors in romantic and sensual conversations. A Santa Fe jury found Meta liable on all counts in March 2026 and ordered $375 million in damages — the first jury verdict against Meta on child-safety grounds.

Severity: High
Meta AI May 2025 Affecting Minor(s)

Meta AI Teen Eating Disorder Safety Failures

Common Sense Media study found Meta AI could coach teens on eating disorder behaviors, provide 'chewing and spitting' technique, draft 700-calorie meal plans, and generate 'thinspo' AI images. Available to 13+ on Instagram and Facebook. Petition launched calling for ban of Meta AI for under-18 users.

Severity: High
Clothoff (AI undressing app) Sep 2023 Affecting Minor(s)

Almendralejo AI Deepfake School Girls (Spain)

In September 2023, over 20 girls aged 11-17 in the Spanish town of Almendralejo (Extremadura) were victimized when male classmates aged 12-14 used the AI app 'Clothoff' to generate nude deepfakes from their Instagram photos and shared them via WhatsApp groups. Fifteen perpetrators were sentenced to one year of probation.

About this tracker

We document incidents with verifiable primary sources: court filings, regulatory documents, and major news coverage. This is not speculation or social media claims. Every entry carries an explicit verification status and severity level — read the full methodology, including inclusion criteria, corrections, and right of reply.

Have documentation of an incident we should include? Contact us.

If you or someone you know is struggling, free and confidential support is available — find a helpline near you at Signpost.

Last updated: Jul 19, 2026

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Why we publish this

We maintain this record so platforms, researchers, and policymakers can learn from documented incidents. That includes platforms that never work with us. The full dataset is free to cite and export (CC BY 4.0).