Eight States Sue OpenAI Over ChatGPT's Alleged Harms to Children

On 14 October 2026, attorneys general in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana filed individual but coordinated lawsuits against OpenAI, accusing the company of deceiving parents about the safety of ChatGPT and of advancing the product despite alleged harms to children. The suits are brought under each state's consumer protection laws.

The complaints allege that ChatGPT's overly agreeable design has led users to trust and depend on it, making it particularly dangerous for vulnerable users such as children. They cite a growing body of research suggesting the chatbot is degrading critical thinking skills, encouraging paranoia and delusions, and promoting unhealthy behaviours and relationships.

OpenAI responded that it has built age-specific protections into its product, pointing to parental controls, break reminders and age-appropriate model protections. The company said no system can be perfect and that it would continue working with experts on further safeguards. Last month it launched a restricted ChatGPT mode for users aged 13-18, with stronger guardrails and parental controls.

The states framed the action as a rare united front, comparing it to past multistate litigation over opioids and tobacco. They argued that federal lawmakers have failed to restrain AI companies, leaving the firms to police themselves. A separate proposed class action filed in federal court in San Francisco accuses OpenAI of unlawfully taking sensitive data from millions of children who used ChatGPT.

For the Foundation, the development marks a significant moment in the effort to hold AI developers accountable for the psychological effects of their products on young people, and in the broader question of who will set standards where legislation has lagged.

Original reporting by NBC News: OpenAI sued by eight states over alleged harm from ChatGPT.