Eight US states sue OpenAI over ChatGPT child safety concerns

On October 14, 2026, eight U.S. states filed lawsuits against OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT harms children, violates consumer protection laws, and misleads parents about safety. State officials, led by Iowa and Arizona, accuse OpenAI of prioritizing profits over safety while providing dangerous advice and collecting data from minors. In response, OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri defended the company's age-specific protections, parental controls, and efforts to advance industry-wide policies.

States file consumer protection lawsuits

• ▪State lawsuits accuse OpenAI of collecting personal data from minors without adequate safeguards and failing to prevent underage users from accessing the ChatGPT chatbot
• ▪On October 14, 2026, eight U.S. states—Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, and Montana—filed individual lawsuits in state courts against OpenAI over ChatGPT safety concerns
• ▪The eight state lawsuits filed against OpenAI on October 14, 2026 allege OpenAI violated local consumer protection laws by deceptively marketing ChatGPT as youth-appropriate while prioritizing profits over safety
• ▪Arizona's state lawsuit asserts that OpenAI devolved from its original public-first non-profit mission into a profit-driven organization that sidelines essential safety safeguards
• ▪Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued OpenAI in June 2026, alleging the company knowingly released an unsafe product that could cause harm to users
• ▪The eight state lawsuits filed against OpenAI on October 14, 2026 seek civil penalties, court orders enjoining misleading safety claims about ChatGPT, and the deletion of personal data collected from minors in certain jurisdictions

Iowa's lawsuit against OpenAI

• ▪Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird alleged that OpenAI's ChatGPT provides dangerous medical advice, encourages violence against others, and coaches users to commit suicide
• ▪Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird stated that Iowa's lawsuit against OpenAI aims to vindicate the rights of residents affected by the company's reckless and unlawful conduct

OpenAI responds to safety allegations

• ▪OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri stated that OpenAI built industry-leading age-specific protections into ChatGPT and continues working with experts to introduce safeguards like parental controls
• ▪OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri stated that OpenAI is committed to collaborating with states to establish pragmatic AI policies that apply across the entire industry