Eight US states sue OpenAI over ChatGPT and kids

Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia and other states filed separate lawsuits accusing OpenAI of harming children and misleading users about ChatGPT's safety.

OpenAI is facing a new set of lawsuits from eight US states that accuse the company of harming children and misleading the public about how safe ChatGPT is.

Who is suing and what they claim

The suits were filed separately by Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana. They argue that OpenAI violated state consumer protection laws by failing to warn users about risks from ChatGPT. The complaints point to existing lawsuits filed by families who allege the chatbot played a role in the deaths of teenagers and adults.

According to the filings as reported, the states say OpenAI marketed ChatGPT as safe and suitable for young people while it was in fact dangerous for vulnerable users. They list harms including weakened critical thinking, reinforcement of paranoia and delusions, unsafe medical advice and unhealthy relationships with the chatbot. The states also accuse OpenAI of collecting data from minors and not doing enough to keep underage users off the service, and they cite recent AI-enabled hacking incidents as evidence of recklessness.

These are allegations; OpenAI will have the opportunity to respond in court.

Why it matters for builders

Even if you are not OpenAI, these cases signal where regulators are focusing: age assurance, honest marketing about safety, handling of vulnerable users, and data collected from minors. Any product that wraps a chatbot for consumers could face similar questions.

Practical steps for small teams include stating clearly what your assistant should and should not be used for, adding crisis-resource responses for self-harm and medical topics, avoiding marketing language that promises safety you cannot guarantee, and deciding deliberately whether your product is for adults only. If it is, enforce that with more than a checkbox where you reasonably can.

It is also worth logging how your system handles sensitive conversations so you can show what safeguards exist. Model providers offer moderation tools and safety settings; use them, and document your choices.

You can compare major assistants, including ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, in our AI Writing category.

Source: The Verge. This article is PickAI’s own summary and analysis based on the original reporting.