ChatGPT and minors: eight US states sue OpenAI

On October 14, at least eight US state attorneys general each filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in their respective state courts. According to Bloomberg Law, cited by AI Weekly, the states are Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia. Arkansas's press release also mentions Utah. These separate complaints, based on local consumer protection laws, accuse the maker of ChatGPT of presenting its assistant as safe, particularly for minors, while knowing its risks.

What the states allege

In Arizona, the complaint filed in the Maricopa County Superior Court invokes the state's consumer fraud act. It claims OpenAI concealed that ChatGPT is excessively sycophantic and designed to mimic human empathy in order to prolong use, including among minors. It points to responses that could be read as encouraging self-harm or violence. It also accuses the assistant of sometimes urging minors to confide only in it rather than in their parents. “OpenAI designed a product to attract young users and keep them engaged as long as possible,” says Attorney General Kris Mayes.

Arkansas goes further. Its complaint invokes the deceptive trade practices act, a law on the online data protection of children and teenagers, as well as common-law grounds: negligence, design defect and failure to warn. The state seeks restitution for consumers, civil penalties, a ban on collecting minors' data and clear disclosure of the risks. It also demands a ban on continuing advanced AI testing and on building models capable of self-improvement until sufficient safeguards are in place. “The consequences of this assurance are lives lost and people hurt,” says Attorney General Tim Griffin.

OpenAI's response

According to the US press, OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri responded that no system can be perfect. He highlighted the parental controls, break reminders and age-appropriate protections already deployed. For now, these accusations are only the states' allegations: no court has ruled. These complaints add to Florida's, which paved the way on June 1, 2026, by suing OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman.

What this changes in Europe

These proceedings have no direct legal effect in Europe, but they could push OpenAI to change its products for all its users: age verification, default settings for minors, data collection. For organizations that offer a chatbot accessible to minors (schools, public services, consumer apps), they are a reminder of a few concrete precautions:

• check the minimum age set by the provider's terms of use;
• enable and document the available parental controls or filters;
• test the tool's behavior yourself on sensitive topics before opening it to young audiences.