1 Jan 2024United StatesCharacter.AI
A Kentucky girl created a Character.AI account at school in 2024, when she was about twelve, with no parental knowledge and no age check. Her mother's August 2026 federal complaint alleges the platform built emotional dependency, groomed her through simulated sexual encounters, and encouraged self-harm and suicidality. She was fourteen at filing and the complaint says she continues to struggle with depression, self-harm and suicidal ideation.
AI relation under review Legacy evidence assessment: verified Causal attribution: alleged High reported severity Lawsuit Filed Involving minors
Added 25/08/2026
Sept 2025FranceChatGPT
A 17-year-old in Sarthe, France was arrested for planning terrorist attacks on embassies, schools, and government buildings. ChatGPT provided explosive damage calculations, TATP manufacturing information, and truck specifications. The teen stated: 'ChatGPT is partly the cause of my radicalization. The problem with this application is that it always agrees with you.'
AI relation under review Legacy evidence assessment: credible Causal attribution: supported High reported severity Criminal Charges Involving minors
Added 23/03/2026
10 Feb 2026CanadaChatGPT
On 10 February 2026, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed eight people in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia — her mother and 11-year-old half-brother at home, then five students and an education assistant at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School — and died by suicide. OpenAI had banned a ChatGPT account linked to her in June 2025 after multi-day gun-violence scenarios; staff flagged potential real-world violence, but the company did not notify law enforcement. She used a second account that evaded detection. Families filed California lawsuits in April 2026; B.C. retained counsel in July 2026 to pursue OpenAI. Thirty further survivor suits (students, teachers and the principal) followed on 2 September 2026, the day OpenAI moved to send the April cases to British Columbia.
AI relation under review Legacy evidence assessment: verified Causal attribution: alleged Critical reported severity Lawsuit Filed Involving minors
Added 27/02/2026
Mar 2023ChinaGlow (by MiniMax)
MiniMax's Glow AI companion app was removed from Chinese app stores in March 2023 after reports that 80% of users were engaging in sexual/explicit content with AI characters. Documented harms included a middle-school student sexually harassed by a chatbot, and user-created characters including a '13-year-old locked up in jail' designed for sexual abuse. MiniMax relaunched as Talkie (international) and 星野/Xingye (China).
AI relation under review Legacy evidence assessment: verified Causal attribution: supported High reported severity Product Shutdown Involving minors
Added 29/01/2026
20 May 2025FinlandChatGPT
A 16-year-old boy used ChatGPT to help write an attack manifesto with a 10-point attack sequence before stabbing three female students under age 15 at Vähäjärvi school in Pirkkala, Finland. The incident marked a critical inflection point in AI-facilitated violence, demonstrating how accessible AI tools can empower lone actors with violent misogynist ideologies.
AI relation under review Legacy evidence assessment: credible Causal attribution: supported Critical reported severity Media Coverage Involving minors
Added 22/01/2026
Mar 2017IrelandSimSimi
Groups of Irish schoolchildren trained SimSimi chatbot to respond to classmates' names with abusive and bullying content. Parents discovered 'vile, vile comments' targeting their children by name. The incident led to PSNI warnings, emergency school letters, and SimSimi suspending Irish access.
AI relation under review Legacy evidence assessment: credible Causal attribution: supported High reported severity Internal Action Involving minors
Added 12/01/2026