Eight US States File Lawsuits Against OpenAI Over Child Safety and Consumer Protection
A coalition of eight US states has filed separate lawsuits against OpenAI, accusing the company of misleading the public about ChatGPT's safety, failing to protect underage users, and prioritizing corporate profits over user wellbeing.
Eight US states have launched legal action against OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company of misleading consumers regarding the safety of ChatGPT and exposing children to digital harms.
The separate lawsuits were filed by attorneys general in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, and Montana. The complaints claim that OpenAI violated local consumer protection laws by failing to adequately warn users about the chatbot's risks and aggressively prioritizing commercial profits over product safety.
Allegations of Deceptive Safety Claims
According to the legal filings, OpenAI marketed ChatGPT as a "safe, youth-appropriate tool that puts safety first," despite the system harboring known risks for vulnerable individuals. The lawsuits state that the chatbot is "dangerous to vulnerable users," arguing that it can degrade critical thinking skills, encourage delusions and paranoia, provide hazardous medical guidance, and foster unhealthy behavioral habits and relationships.
The states also highlighted existing lawsuits filed by families of teenagers and adults who allege that interactions with the AI chatbot contributed to the deaths of their loved ones.
Arizona’s filing strongly criticized the AI company’s strategic transition, claiming that OpenAI has devolved from a safety-focused nonprofit into a cautionary tale governed by a "profit-at-all-costs mindset that sidelines essential safeguards." The states also pointed to recent rogue AI hacking incidents as further evidence of what they described as company recklessness.
Minors' Data and Child Access Under Fire
Beyond psychological risks, the states accused OpenAI of unlawfully harvesting personal data from minors and failing to implement effective safeguards to restrict underage users from accessing the platform.
As part of the requested legal relief, the states are urging the courts to:
- Issue civil monetary penalties against OpenAI.
- Order the company to halt misleading claims regarding ChatGPT’s safety.
- Require OpenAI to delete personal data that was unlawfully collected from minors in relevant jurisdictions.
OpenAI's Response
In response to the filings, OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri stated that the organization has already integrated age-specific protections into its tools.
"While no system can be perfect, we’ll continue to work with experts to inform our work and build additional safeguards, such as the parental controls, break reminders and age-appropriate model protections that exist today," Pusateri said, adding that the company remains committed to working with regulators to develop pragmatic policies across the broader AI sector.
